


Just For Tonight

by keenwonderlandcollector



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: AU, Fake Dating, Flirting, Fluff, Incest, M/M, Parent/Child Incest, Slow Burn, Smut, Starker, Starkercest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-11
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:00:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 31,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26412268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keenwonderlandcollector/pseuds/keenwonderlandcollector
Summary: While out at an exhibit, Peter gets into an awkward situation and pretends that Tony, his father, is actually his boyfriend. Tony goes along with it, and Peter soon finds himself enjoying it a little too much..
Relationships: Peter Parker/Tony Stark
Comments: 97
Kudos: 358





	1. Chapter One

Peter let out a yawn as he rested his head on his hand, willing the last five minutes of his work day to be quick.

His first summer as a college graduate and he was stuck working at a medical supply company. He wouldn’t mind it so much if he was doing something _interesting_ , data entry didn’t exactly get his juices flowing. But, it paid pretty decently and it was only for a few months. Come September he’d officially be starting his internship at AEROFLEX, the hugely successful engineering company (who his Aunt Pepper just _happened_ to be the CEO of, though she’d informed him she’d had no involvement in the selection process) and then he’d finally be starting his life properly.

Eventually, five o’clock rolled around and he was gone before he could be stopped. As he was walking to the subway MJ sent him a text informing him she was away for the weekend visiting her girlfriend (who Peter, despite many requests, had yet to meet) and helpfully reminded him not to burn down their apartment while she was away. Peter would take offence to that, but the dishcloth on the stove incident two months stopped him (who knew twirling it around while dancing in the kitchen would be so dangerous?).

Another half hour later, he was almost outside his apartment building. Even after over four years of living in Manhattan he still missed Queens. (The day his dad and May had dropped him off at NYU, he spent the whole night quietly sobbing in his room). Before he could dwell too much, his phone vibrated in his pocket and he quickly took it out, smiling as he saw _‘Dad’_ and the photo of the two of them at Peter’s graduation (his dad wearing Peter’s cap) flashed up on screen.

“Hey, dad. What’s up?” He asked, fishing his keys from his pocket as his building came into view. He readied himself for the four flights of stairs, the elevator probably still out of service. He thought after three weeks of the walk he’d be a little fitter but no such luck. He was starting to believe he’d be scrawny forever.

“Hey Pete, just checking in. How was work?” Came his dad’s warm voice.

“Stimulating as usual. I actually got called ‘Peter’ today, instead of ‘Kid’, or ‘You’, so that was fun.” Peter sighed, walking up to the building door and letting himself in, taking a breath before approaching the stairs. “How about you? How was your day? Keep in mind that I have four flights of stairs to walk so feel free to go into great detail.”

“I’ll try, promise.” Tony laughed as Pete began his ascent. “We had PTA meetings all day, which is always a party. You know, you would think that as all the kids in my class are doing well I would get _some_ of the credit,” Tony began as Peter smiled to himself, the journey upstairs suddenly not so bad. “but apparently the humble teacher gets no credit. Half the parents think their children are geniuses who don’t even _need_ a teacher, and the other half think that they could do a better job than I ever could. _I’ve_ only been a teacher for nineteen years, but _Angela the soccer mom_ thinks she could write Newton’s autobiography.” 

“Maybe she could,” Peter grinned, nodding at Mrs. Katrakis as she passed him on the stairs, giving him a little wave. “She _is_ the head of the PTA after all. Smart cookie, that one.”

“Thank you for your support Pete, always appreciated.” Tony sighed as Peter laughed, one floor completed in record time.

“Anytime, dad,” Peter smiled, jingling his keys in his hand. “anything else exciting happen?”

Tony fielded most of the conversation as Peter tackled the stairs, finally reaching his floor just a little out of breath. 

“Oh,” Tony interrupted himself, and Peter was sure he could hear his fingers clicking in the background. He always did that when he was frustratedly trying to remember something. “before I forget, are you free tomorrow night?”

“Depends,” Peter raised an eyebrow, pushing the key into the lock and opening the door to his apartment. “what did you have in mind?”

“Well Aunt Pepper has tickets to some art exhibition, but she and Uncle Rhodey are going away for the weekend so she gave the tickets to me. It’ll probably be incredibly dull, but Pepper guaranteed a _lot_ of free booze. What do you think, you want to go?” 

“I don’t see why not,” Peter shrugged, grabbing the mail from the floor and dropping it onto the hall table. “it might be fun.”

“If not, we can just get drunk and judge the art. I’ll send you on the details.” Tony suggested and Peter couldn’t help but smile.

“I’m in,” Peter grinned, heading into the kitchen. “see you then. Bye dad.”

“Bye Pete, see you soon.” Tony ended the call and Peter left his phone on the counter, getting a glass of water before heading to his bedroom to shower and change, readying himself for a night of pizza and terrible TV, he’d get his dose of culture tomorrow.

-

“Art show?” Ned wrinkled his nose, pulling a face when Peter informed him of his evening plans during their usual Saturday afternoon video call. Ned had gotten an internship with a major software company in California and had already started. They’d taken to a weekly call, saving up their weekly news. MJ often rolled her eyes when Peter would write down little things about his day in an old notebook, but always dropped in on their call.

“An art show with free alcohol.” Peter explained, holding his hands up.

“Ah,” Ned nodded, smiling. “I knew you weren’t as dumb as you look.”

“Love you too, man.” Peter laughed, shaking his head.

The show was starting at eight, and by seven Peter was calling May to see what he should wear.

“I just had your father round here asking the same thing,” She laughed. “you two are clueless. The ticket doesn’t say anything about black tie so just wear a shirt and some pants, is that so difficult?”

“No,” Peter frowned, trawling through his wardrobe. “what _kind_ of pants?”

It was times like this Peter was grateful for May. Even if MJ was home she wouldn’t be able to offer much insight, telling him to wear hot pants for all it mattered. May was a lifesaver in these (and many) situations where Peter needed a feminine perspective. She’d always been more like a sister than an aunt, whereas Pepper, one of his dad’s oldest and closest friends, was much more aunt-like. May (and Ben, before..Peter didn’t like thinking about it) had always been the ones who had taken Peter out for ice cream, let him watch movies he had technically been too young for and sneak a little bit of alcohol and Christmas and birthday parties. Pepper was the one who had taken him clothes shopping, sent him reminders to do his homework and made all his doctor/dentist/boring stuff appointments (Pepper had made Tony’s too, insisting he never would if she didn’t) and Rhodey was the one who taught him football, who made stupid jokes that never failed to make Peter smile, and told him the best (AKA most embarrassing) stories about his dad.

Peter loved them all dearly, and felt incredibly lucky to have such a great family around him. Even though it was just Peter and Tony, they were always surrounded with so much love and support. Despite never knowing his mother (She’d died soon after giving birth to Peter, and though Tony rarely talked about her, Peter had often seen his father holding a picture of her, gently stroking it and whispering under his breath), Peter never felt he’d missed out. He had a family full of people he adored, and that’s what mattered to him. 

“Now go get dressed, you’ll be late. Love you.” May urged, as Peter laid out his clothes on the bed.

“I’m going I’m going, love you too.” Peter insisted, ending the call and dropping his phone onto the bed while he changed into the light brown chinos and a navy short-sleeve button up. Quickly gelling his hair into some sort of submission, he grabbed his keys and wallet and headed out of the apartment.

-

“Hey, sorry I’m a little late.” Peter waved at his dad, who was waiting outside the art gallery, gliding through his phone. He looked nice, Peter thought, dressed in a simple black t-shirt, grey blazer and dark jeans. 

“Hey,” Tony smiled, slipping his phone into his pocket. “you’re in plenty of time. Shall we?”

“Let’s.” Peter nodded as Tony pushed the glass door open, holding it for Peter to walk through. “Bring on the free booze.”

The free champagne that was on offer turned out to be a huge help for the two men, looking at paintings such as ‘Yellow Square #482’ and ‘Woman’s Scent’ was made much funner with a drink in hand.

“No, no,” Peter shook his head, pointing at the painting in front of them, of what appeared to be a green blob sprawling over a black blob. Like all the other pictures on display, it was hung on a luminous white wall, a thin black frame surrounding it. “it’s _clearly_ about nature reclaiming the earth.”

“That’s what you think it means?” Tony raised an eyebrow, taking a drink of champagne. 

  
“Yes,” Peter nodded proudly. He may have been just a _little_ tipsy already. “though for.. _wow_ , five hundred bucks it better be about _something_.”

“True.” Tony nodded, laughing gently as Peter stared aghast at the picture.

“Anyway, I’m gonna go get another drink. You want one?” Peter shook his head, turning to his father.

“Sure, I’ll meet you at the bar in a second, I just have to make a quick call.” Tony smiled, gently patting Peter on the back before heading outside. 

Over at the pop-up bar, Peter picked up two glasses of champagne, smiling politely at the man beside him, who flashed him a smile. He was definitely older than Tony, his hair almost completely grey. He was tall, but on the heavy side. His green eyes focused on Peter, who willed Tony to hurry up.

“Are you a fan of the artist?” The man asked, standing a little closer. Peter cursed himself for ever making eye contact.

“Oh, well,” Peter cleared his throat, trying to be polite. For all he knew, this man _was_ the artist. “this is my first time at an art show, actually. But their work is really..great.” 

“Oh she’s a visionary,” The man nodded, and Peter forced a rictus smile onto his face. “the way she uses a brush is like magic, don’t you think?” 

“Yes, _magic_ ,” Peter nodded, giving a sidelong look to the door. “she’s very talented.”

“You know,” The man moved closer and Peter took a long drink. “her early work is the real prize, she’s been painting since she was just seventeen you know..” He kept talking and Peter felt his will to live fade away, his mind elsewhere until he felt a large hand on his lower back.

“I actually have a ast private collection at my home, if you were interested..” The man smirked, and Peter swallowed the bile that rose in his throat.

“Well that sounds very interesting, but I don’t think my boyfriend would approve. He’s very protective.” Peter smiled, jumping to the first excuse he could think of. 

“I’m sure he wouldn’t mind..” The man’s hand wandered lower and as Peter saw Tony approach he breathed a sigh of relief.

“There he is, actually. Would you excuse me a moment?” Peter smiled, taking the champagne and making a beeline towards his father.

“Hey, could you do me a huge favour and just go along with what I say?” Peter whispered hurriedly, glancing back to the man he’d been talking to.

“Sure,” Tony nodded, looking concerned. “is everything okay?” 

“Everything’s fine,” Peter let out a laugh, stroking Tony’s arm before taking his hand. “just follow my lead.”

“Alright.” Tony gave Peter’s hand a quick squeeze, looking a little confused but walking back over to the bar with him.

“Tony, this is..I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch your name?” Peter squeezed Tony’s hand. 

“It’s Ed, Ed Harrison.” The man leaned his elbow on the bar, looking skeptical between the two. 

“Ah, well, Ed, this is Tony, the one I was telling you about.” Peter smiled, taking Tony’s arm.

“It’s..nice to meet you.” Tony gave a polite smile, shaking the man’s hand and looking totally bemused.

“Likewise,” Ed nodded, raising an eyebrow. “Peter was just telling me about you.”

“All good I hope.” Tony grinned, wrapping an arm around Peter’s waist and giving it a gentle squeeze. Peter was relieved Tony was going along with the lie, though he suspected he would. As parents went. Tony wasn’t exactly the typical example. He’d been just twenty one, Peter’s age, when Peter was born and had been left alone to raise him. May, Ben, Pepper and Rhodey were always there to help, but Tony was always determined to be a good father. He and Peter were incredibly close, almost more like a best friend than a father. He was funny, smart, interesting, and had always been so accepting of Peter, no matter what. When Peter turned fifteen and decided he was ready to come out, he never worried about what Tony would think, and his dad was thoroughly supportive. 

“Oh absolutely,” Ed smiled, very forcefully, picking up his drink from the bar. “ _singing your praises,_ in fact. You’re a lucky man, Tony.” He gave Peter a thorough look up and down, taking a slow drink. “But, I have some more mingling to do, so if you gentlemen will excuse me..”

“Of course, nice to meet you,” Peter smiled politely as the man walked away. “you lecherous old _creep_.” 

“Don’t worry about him, you have me,” Tony winked, and Peter felt his heart flutter ever so slightly, brushing off the feeling. “who you must be pretty serious about if you’re..what did he say? _singing my praises_?”

“I was just being polite, you’re actually a very cheap date,” Peter grinned, folding his arms. “I mean, you didn’t even take me out to dinner first.”

“You’re right,” Tony nodded, putting on a solemn expression Peter couldn’t help but laugh at. “so to prove that I’m worth it, I might just treat you to a cheeseburger later on.”

“Well that changes everything.” Peter raised an eyebrow, gently nudging his father.

“I thought it might. Right, I gotta use the bathroom,” Tony clapped his hands together, glancing across the room. “feel free to praise me to more strangers while I’m gone. But you can keep to a hum if you want, it doesn’t have to be full blown singing.” He winked, giving Peter a gentle pat on the back and handing him his half empty glass before heading away.

Peter laughed softly to himself, turning back to the bar and picking up another set of drinks for himself and Tony. The evening was certainly turning out better than expected. It had been a while since he’d spent time with his dad properly, having missed their usual Saturday night dinners round at May’s for the last few weeks.

When Tony still hadn’t returned a good fifteen minutes later, Peter picked up the drinks and decided to go and look for him. Before long he spotted him chatting to a beautiful brunette woman, dressed in a delicate kaftan that clung to her figure. They were laughing about something, the woman gently touching Tony’s arm. Peter couldn’t remember the last time Tony had been in a relationship, or been on a date. Maybe he’d seen someone, or been dating and just hadn't told Peter. Then again, he realised, he was one to talk. Peter couldn’t remember the last time he’d so much as met someone for a coffee.

“There you are.” Peter smiled, handing Tony his drink and standing beside him.

“Is this him?” The woman asked Tony, a smile on her face.

“Yes, yes it is,” Tony nodded, wrapping his arm around Peter’s waist once more. His hand felt warm through Peter’s shirt. “Jasmine, this is Peter. Peter, this is Jasmine Reyes, the artist.” 

“It’s nice to meet you, Jasmine. Your work is beautiful.” Peter smiled politely, the alcohol easing his guilt at lying.

“Well thank you, Peter. Tony’s just been telling me all about you,” Jasmine smiled, gesturing to Tony with her champagne glass. “you’re a very lucky man, Tony. You two make an adorable couple.” 

“Just returning the favour.” Tony whispered into Peter’s ear, his breath cool on the younger man’s skin. He didn’t need to, Peter thought. Jasmine didn’t know them, yet Tony chose to keep up the facade. Oh well, one night wouldn’t hurt anyone.

“I think I’m pretty lucky, too.” Peter smiled, placing his arm against Tony’s back. “if I do say so myself.”

“Tony was just about to tell me about how you met.” Jasmine smiled, taking a sip of champagne.

“Yeah,” Tony nodded as Peter took a sip of champagne, curious as to what story he would come up with. “well I was at the Museum of Natural History, and Peter and I were the only ones at the Scales of the Universe exhibit and I thought to myself, ‘There is the most incredibly beautiful man you have ever seen in your entire life, if you don’t go over to him and make a complete fool of yourself by asking him out, then you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.’ so I did,” Tony looked at Peter with a soft smile, and for a split second Peter thought that Tony was about to kiss him. 

“and the rest,” Tony looked back to Jasmine with a smile, as Peter quickly looked down at his glass, a smile toying at his lips. “as they say, is history.”

“How romantic,” Jasmine placed a hand over her chest. “you two better watch out, I might just make you the subjects of my next exhibit.” 

“When are you free?” Tony winked, the three of them laughing, Peter fighting a blush.

“Don’t tempt me, you. Listen, enjoy the exhibit, and it was so lovely to meet you both.” Jasmine laughed, giving them a wave as she disappeared into the crowd.

They didn’t talk to anyone else, though Tony kept his hand on Peter’s waist and Peter didn’t really mind, particularly the more he drank. Occasionally Tony would make a comment about some of the guests, whispering in Peter’s ear and making him giggle softly, Tony’s face lighting up.

“Alright, I think it’s time I treated you to that burger.” Tony smiled as Peter floated over to him from the bathroom, absolutely wasted. 

“About time,” Peter smiled, gently slapping Tony’s arm. “come on, I’m starving.” 

Tony kept his arm around Peter’s waist until they got outside, and Peter found himself missing it as they walked down the street to a small diner. 

“ _Mm_..” Peter moaned softly as he took a bite of his burger, Tony laughing softly. 

“Enjoying yourself there, Pete?” The older man raised an eyebrow as Peter blushed, swallowing the bite and placing the burger back on his plate.

“A little bit.” 

“Can’t blame you, it’s amazing.” Tony smiled, picking at his fries, looking like he was about to say something else and stopped himself.

“You know, I gotta say, I had a great time tonight,” Peter rested his elbows on the table, looking across at his father. “as fake boyfriends go, you’re certainly up there.”

“Is it weird that I agree with that?” Tony asked, swirling his soda around, smiling gently.

“Probably,” Peter nodded, taking a bite of his burger. “buf foo cares.”

“True,” Tony grinned, taking a drink of his soda. “anyway, it was only for a few hours, we’re back in the real world now.”

“Exactly,” Peter wiped his hands on his napkin, feeling slightly disappointed. He chalked it up to the alcohol, deciding not to dwell on it.

Peter struggled to stay awake on the cab ride home, just wanting to collapse into his bed and try to sleep off the hangover before it kicked in. Tony had reminded him to take some water to bed, giving him a gentle kiss on the cheek before he went to get his own cab. Peter’s cheek still felt warm.

When he finally got into his apartment (after an epic struggle with the door, eventually realising he was just jabbing the key at the door), he filled a large glass with water and took it to his bedroom, setting it on the nightstand while he undressed. Once he was settled in bed, he checked his phone, finding a text from his father.

**_Tonight was fun (if somewhat inappropriate) thanks again for coming with me, Get some sleep, and don’t forget the water x_ **

Peter smiled to himself, placing the phone down on the nightstand and taking a long drink of water. He shifted under the blankets, gently sliding his hands down to his boxers, before deciding to just get some sleep, guilt washing over him.  
  



	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter is totally over any..inappropriate feeling he may have had. Mmhm. 
> 
> Until, that is, they rear their head once more.

When Peter finally decided to lift his face from the pillow, he instantly regretted it. Sunlight streamed in through the window (He knew he should’ve closed the blinds last night) and bathed him in a warm, horrible glow. Groaning softly, he eased himself up and reached out for his half-empty glass of water, the liquid now warm and unappealing. 

He grabbed his phone, setting the glass down and sitting up to snap a quick selfie, pulling a suitably miserable face. 

**_Who knew free alcohol was a bad idea?_ **😓

He sent it to Ned, gently throwing his phone down onto the bed. Despite the horrific hangover that was revving up to full throttle, last night had been fun, what Peter could remember of it at least. He had never intended to use Tony as a fake boyfriend, but he supposed he was just lucky to have a laid back, open minded father who was cool with pretending to be his son’s boyfriend for the night. 

It was a one off, silly, fun thing they’d laugh about in the future. 

A strange twisting sensation rose in Peter’s stomach, and he knew he’d never be able to sleep the hangover off now. He dragged himself from the bed, doing his best zombie walk to the bathroom and turning on the shower, brushing his teeth as he let the water warm up. Today would be the exclusive reserve of his bed, Netflix and the half jar of Nutella sitting on the kitchen counter begging to be finished. 

Once the water was warm, he stepped under the spray and closed his eyes, the marching band in his head finally starting up. He let out a deep sigh as he pressed his forehead against the smooth tiles, the water hitting his back. Resting one hand on the wall, he reached down and gently grasped himself, languidly gliding his hand along his length, trying to muster the enthusiasm. He suddenly got an image in his mind, a warm hand on his back, cool breath tickling his ear. He instantly hardened in his hand, increasing his pace slightly. The image stayed in his mind, slowly becoming more fleshed out. Just as he was beginning to feel thoroughly enthused, he remembered his dad telling the artist about their (false) first meeting, the way he had looked at Peter so.. _lovingly_. The way his eyes had fallen to Peters lips, the feeling that Peter might want him to..

He quickly moved back from the wall, switching the water to cold and pushing the thoughts from his mind. He really needed to get back to bed, this hangover was going to be bad.

-

By the next Saturday, Peter was confident he was totally past any weird feelings he’d had about the art exhibition. He’d had a long conversation with his dad on Wednesday night, who regaled Peter with his latest tales of Forest Hills High School, his ongoing war (‘still calling it a war I see, dad’) with his neighbour over their ‘four-legged demon’ that others might call a cat, and his disastrous attempt at making a lasagne for a staff potluck (Peter heard the smoke alarm going off in the background while Tony was ranting about Beelzebub/Mr. Mittens) and it had felt the same as it always had. It was a relief, Peter thought. He should’ve known Tony wouldn’t be bothered by their ‘date’, his dad was so laid back Peter was surprised he didn’t just float around horizontally.

Come Saturday evening, Peter was happily making his way over to May’s for their usual dinner, skipping up the stairs to her apartment. It still felt strange passing his dad’s floor, the apartment he had spent most of his life in, but in a good way. He made his way down the hall and knocked on May’s door, hearing music faintly.

“Ah, Pete, just in time,” May smiled as she opened the door, embracing Peter in a warm hug. “you can back me up.”

“Back you up on what?” Peter raised an eyebrow, closing the door behind him and shrugging off his light hoodie, hanging it on the coat rack. 

“ _Nothing_ ,” Tony threw May a look as he emerged from the kitchen, wiping his hands on a cloth. “Hey, Pete.”

“Hey, dad.” Peter smiled, looking between the siblings. Either of you want to throw me into the fold?”

“Happy to,” May smiled, sticking her tongue out at Tony as she looped her arm in Peter’s, walking him into the kitchen. “you see, your dad here has the op-”

“Leave it, May.” Tony sighed, walking past them and taking a bowl of salad from the counter, placing it on the set table.

“Alright,” May sighed, holding her hands up as Peter sat down. “if you insist.” She smiled at Peter, giving him the _‘I'll-tell-you-later’_ look.

“I saw that.” Tony raised an eyebrow, gently budging May.

“You saw nothing,” May rolled her eyes playfully as Peter laughed, enjoying their usual routine. “how was your day, Pete?”

A while later, when they were finishing dinner (Lasagne, that Tony proudly announced he’d mastered. May insisted that without her help, the entire building would reek of burnt noodles), May decided to fill Peter in on the earlier mystery. Peter figured she’d purposely waited until they were a bottle and a half of wine in before broaching the subject again. 

“So as I was saying before I was so _rudely_ interrupted,” May smiled, glancing at Tony before turning back to Peter. “your father here finally has the opportunity to go on a date and he refuses to even consider it.”

“Oh,” Peter looked over at Tony, who was picking at the remains of his dinner. “well, why not, dad?”

“I’m not that interested.” Tony shrugged, taking a drink of wine. Peter felt a small flutter in his chest, pushing the feeling down. He really needed to watch his drinking, he thought, as he looked at his almost empty..second glass.

“Not that..Pete, do you remember my friend Natasha?” May asked, resting her forearms on the table. 

Natasha..Natasha..Peter wracked his brain, trying to think who she was. Then it came to him, if he was thinking of the right woman. A stunningly beautiful, smart, cool redhead who Peter had met at May’s birthday party last year.

“Yeah, the..the uh..redhead?” Peter asked, looking over at Tony and suddenly not wanting the man to change his mind.

“That’s her,” May smiled, and Peter’s heart sank slightly. “well, the other day she was asking if Tony was seeing anyone and I said I’d set them up. But someone,” She frowned at Tony, who gave her a smile back. “won’t do it.”

“I’m sure Natasha is very nice,” Tony poured himself another drink, topping up Peter’s glass too. “but I’m just not interested.” 

“Tony,” May sighed, gathering up the plates and taking them over to the sink. “when did you last even go on a date?”

“Well,” Tony gave Peter a wink, a flush colouring the younger man’s cheeks. “it wasn’t that long ago.”

“It’s been long enough,” May turned around, resting her hands on the counter. “you know what, I’ll be back in a minute. Peter, would you please tell your father that taking a very attractive woman out for a coffee wouldn’t hurt him?” She threw her hands up before heading out, Tony letting out a soft laugh.

“Save your breath, Pete.” Tony smiled, taking a drink. “it’ll only be in vain.” 

“Sure, dad?” Peter asked, embarrassed by the reluctance in his tone. He was over those stupid feelings. 

“Yeah,” Tony waved a hand, sitting back in his chair. “I’m all good for dates, I recently had a _terrible_ experience.”

“Oh?” Peter was unable to hide his smile at his father’s tone. “what happened?”

“Well, I met this great guy, and we hit it off, had a great time. But, he never called me back, can you believe that?” Tony shook his head, rolling his eyes dramatically.

“Maybe he wanted you to call him,” Peter smiled, taking a drink. This was fine, right? They were just messing around. Tony was always like this, Peter loved that about his dad. “or maybe you’re just a cheap date.”

“I guess we’ll never know.” Tony grinned, his eyes lingering on Peter’s for a moment before he stood up, taking the empty salad bowl over to the sink, rinsing it out.

“So?” May asked as she came back into the room. “can I give Natasha the good news?”

“I’ll think about it,” Tony turned around, leaning against the counter and folding his arms. “Pete convinced me to give her a chance. All the praise should go to him.”

“I knew I could count on you, Pete.” May grinned at Peter, who smiled back, feeling stupidly childish for being annoyed at Tony’s answer.

Soon after dessert (Ben & Jerry’s, which Peter was pleasantly surprised to learn Tony brought specially for him), Peter decided to head home, not wanting to miss the last train. He tried not to think too much about the fact that Tony had hugged him for just a moment longer than usual, though his dad was usually more tactile when he’d had a drink.

By the time Peter was walking up the stairs to his apartment, he was in a strange mood. It had been a great night, and he had enjoyed himself, but the lingering feeling of uncomfortableness was getting to him.

“Whoa,” MJ raised an eyebrow when Peter entered the kitchen, pushing a hand through his hair. “did May serve arsenic for dinner? You look terrible.”

“Thanks, MJ,” Peter flashed her a smile, opening the fridge and taking out a diet soda. “you always know just what to say.”

“It’s what I’m here for.” She sighed, hopping up onto the counter adjacent to Peter.

“Hey, I was thinking, could you..” Peter shook his head, suddenly feeling nervous. He opened his soda, taking a drink as he moved to lean against the counter by the fridge.

“I’m sure I _could_ ,” MJ drawled, her eyes narrowing as she looked over him. “but I might need some more details first.”

“It’s..it’s nothing.” Peter sighed, feeling his cheeks flush a rosy pink as he looked down into the can in his hand. He regretted this already, and knew MJ wouldn’t let it go.

“It’s _something_ ,” She countered, leaning back on her hands. “come on, tell me.”

“I was wondering, MJ,” Peter took a breath, looking over at her and willing his nerve to hold out. “if you could set me up with someone.”

“Really?” MJ asked, giving him a curious look before he looked over at her imploringly. “Okay, let me think who you might like.”

“Just a nice, normal guy will be fine,” Peter took a long drink before setting the soda can down on the counter beside him.

“Hm..normal.. _normal_..” MJ looked up to the ceiling, her bottom lip between her teeth. “what about..Steve, he’s pretty normal.”

“What’s he like?” Peter asked, determined to be enthusiastic. A date, good or bad, was just what he needed. 

“Well he’s the head of graphic design at work, and he’s a really great artist in general. He’s a little older than us, I think he’s probably around twenty five. But he’s cute, sweet, smart, just an all around good guy.” MJ looked over at Peter, a small smile on her face. “I think you two might like each other.”

“He sounds nice,” Peter nodded, and it was true, Steve sounded perfectly..fine. “could you set us up?”

“Sure,” MJ shrugged, hopping down from the counter and taking her phone from her pocket. “I’ll give him a call.”

“Great, thanks,” Peter smiled, still trying to feel enthused. He _wanted_ to go on a date, just with..no, he pushed the encroaching thoughts from his mind. “I’ll be in my room if you need me.”

After changing into a pair of loose grey sweatpants and a plain white t-shirt, Peter found himself laying on his bed scrolling through his phone. There was a sudden onset of nerves bundling in his stomach as he heard MJ faintly talking on the other side of the wall, trying not to let it affect him too much. 

A text popped up as he was scrolling through instagram, May’s name flashing on the screen. He opened it, his heart sinking just a little as he read the message.

**_Success, your darling father plucked up the courage to ask Nat out! Now I just need to set you up with someone_ **😏

“ _Oh_.” Peter whispered quietly to himself, re-reading the text. Why did it bother him? There was no reason for it to. His dad was entitled to go on a date, as was he. Hell, MJ was currently trying to set him up on one. Yet he felt a horrible pain in his stomach, a churning mix of jealousy and guilt. He wondered if it was the alcohol that had made Tony agree so soon.

**_About time huh? MJ’s got me covered, your work is done_ **👍

Peter fired off the reply and dropped the phone onto the bed, placing his hands over his face. This was ridiculous, his best (and only) date in months had been a complete charade he put on with his father, and now he was..he was beginning to _really_ hope MJ had arranged something with Steve. Fortunately, he didn’t have too long to wait as he heard MJ’s bedroom door open, and her footsteps approach. He sat up, gently smoothing out his t-shirt.

“Are you free Wednesday night?” MJ asked as she entered the room, her phone pressed to her shoulder.

“Uh, yeah, I, I think so.” Peter nodded, his stomach turning into a butterfly sanctuary as MJ held up a hand, pressing the phone back to her ear.

“Yeah, he’s free. Alright, he’ll see you then. Bye.” She hung up the phone, slipping into her pocket and folding her arms. “Congratulations, Stark. You got a date.” 

“Thanks, MJ,” Peter smiled, 90% genuinely. “where are we going?”

“I don’t know, he’s picking you up here at seven on Wednesday.” MJ shrugged, heading out of the room and closing the door gently.

It was official then, Peter was going on a (real) date, which was exactly what he wanted..right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It really does pain me to make Peter suffer, but so help me if I don't love the CONFLICTION. 🤦 This is absolutely a slow burn, so do prepare yourselves. If you enjoyed this, please feel free to let me know, and a massive thank you to everyone who's left a kudos/comment, it is the greatest inspiration and I love hearing from you 😀❤️


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter goes on a great date with a perfect man, should be smooth sailing..right?

“What do you think? Up for it?” 

“Peter?”

“Huh?” Peter moved his head in the direction of the voice, lost again in his own thoughts.

“I was just asking if you wanted to go out for lunch,” Wanda smiled, raising her eyebrow. “I didn’t mean to interrupt your..” She gestured to her head, and Peter shook his.

“Sorry,” He flushed slightly. “I didn’t mean to. Lunch sounds really good.” 

He couldn’t believe it was already Wednesday, his date with Steve was tonight, and he was absolutely committed to making an effort for it, determined to enjoy himself. The..feelings, or _whatever_ the hell they were, had persisted, much to Peter’s chagrin. The date with Steve was exactly what he needed. Tony’s date was today, too. He was probably on it right now, or on his way to meet Natasha. Peter decided not to dwell on it, getting up from his desk and throwing on his hoodie.

“Where do you want to go?” He asked as Wanda slipped on her jacket, zipping up his hoodie and placing his hands into the pockets.

“Do you like Mexican?” Wanda smiled, linking her arm with Peter’s.

“Love it, let’s go.” Peter grinned, the two of them heading out of the office.

Wanda had only started working with Peter last week, but the two of them had quickly become good friends. Initially Peter was just relieved to have someone his own age in the office, and it was a bonus that she turned out to be really cool, smart and funny. Plus, she’d passed the MJ test (last Friday they’d all gone out for a drink, and MJ had actually ended up talking to Wanda more than Peter), so she was officially in Peter’s good book. 

“So,” Wanda asked as they waited for their meals to arrive. “are you all excited for your big date tonight?” 

“Mm, yeah,” Peter smiled, taking a drink of his soda. “it should be fun. What about you, you have any big plans for the night?”

“Oh I have big plans,” Wanda nodded, a smile playing at her lips. “just me, my couch and some Friends on loop.” 

“That sounds like my kinda night,” Peter grinned as their food arrived. “I knew I liked you for a reason.”

By five o’clock, Peter was feeling much better. He gave Wanda a hug before heading to catch his train, already mentally going through his wardrobe to try and plan an outfit. (He knew he’d end up asking MJ, then May, anyway, but wanted to feel like he’d had some input in the process). 

His phone buzzed in his pocket, snapping him out of his thoughts. Of course, it was Wednesday evening, and his dad was calling for their usual chat. Which was fine, Peter convinced himself as he dug the phone from his pocket, answering it as he quickly swerved a lamppost. 

“Hey, dad,” He smiled, crossing the street. “how was your day? How was the..how was your date?” He knew he was gonna find out anyway, he might as well get it out of the way.

“Hey Pete. My day was fine, nothing too out of the ordinary. Well, one of the kids _may_ have set his lab partner’s hair on fire but she’s fine, and it turns out that short hair actually suits her face.” Tony laughed softly and Peter smiled, walking up to the station. “As for the date, it was..good, Natasha is very nice.”

“Nice, huh?” Peter raised an eyebrow. “don’t praise her too much, dad.”

“You know what I mean,” Tony sighed. “she’s..I’m sorry, I can’t think of any other word than nice. My high school English teacher is out there somewhere cursing my name. But what about _you_ , huh? Excited for your big date?”

Peter pushed down the rising feeling of relief, he wasn’t sure he could’ve handled hearing Tony expounding on the virtues of Natasha. Which was ridiculous, he was perfectly entitled to, and from what Peter remembered of her she was indeed..very _nice_.

“Absolutely,” Peter nodded, waiting on the platform. A small, juvenile, petty part of him took over, and he was glad Tony couldn’t see his face, confident that a guilty look was plastered on it. “I mean, when MJ told me about Steve I was like, why didn’t you set us up sooner? He sounds great, I’m really looking forward to it.”

“That’s great Pete,” Tony sounded genuinely happy, and why shouldn’t he? He was actually a perfectly normal man who just wanted his son to be happy, not..not some..petty overgrown child. “I hope you have a good time, and, if I can make an attempt at being a serious parent for a moment, be safe.”

“ _Dad_ ,” Peter rolled his eyes, a small smile on his face. “I know.”

“Well, still. It’s only because I care, Pete. Alright, I got a ton of marking to do, so have a fun night, and let me know how it goes.”

“Sure,” Peter smiled, watching as the train pulled in. “talk to you later, bye.”

-

“Are you _sure_?”

“For the _ninth_ time, Pete, you look very nice.” 

“But are you _s_ -”

“ **Yes** ,” MJ held up a hand, giving Peter her most serious face. “if you ask me one more time, I’ll call Steve and cancel the date. Just trust me, you look great.”

“Alright,” Peter nodded, smoothing out his jeans. “I think I’m ready.” He turned to look in his wardrobe mirror, fixing his hair. He’d opted for grey jeans, a plain white shirt and his denim jacket, figuring that should suit whatever Steve had planned.

“About time.” MJ muttered, getting up from Peter's bed. 

“Did Steve..say anything about the date today? Is he looking forward to it?” Peter asked, closing the wardrobe door and turning to face his best friend.

“You do realise that gossiping isn’t part of my job?” MJ raised an eyebrow, folding her arms.

“Don’t you work for an online news site? I would’ve thought gossip was part of your job description.” Peter grinned, folding his arms.

“Touche,” MJ walked over to the door, placing her hand on the handle before turning back to Peter. “he said he’s excited to meet you, so don’t make a fool of yourself.”

“I wouldn’-” Peter frowned, watching as MJ left the room.

“He’s here, come on.” MJ called, and Peter quickly grabbed his wallet and phone from the nightstand, a _‘have fun!’_ text from May greeting him. He sent back a thumbs up emoji before heading out to the living room, taking a deep breath.

“Where is he?” Peter asked, finding MJ standing by the door.

“Outside, I buzzed him in. Try to contain yourself, Stark.” She gave his arm a quick squeeze before going to sit on the couch, flicking on the TV.

Thanks to the elevator finally getting fixed, the knock on the door came before Peter could let the nerves overwhelm him. He wanted this date, he had specifically asked MJ to set him up, this was good.

“Hey,” Peter smiled as he opened the door, revealing a very attractive blonde dressed in tan slacks and a checkered blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up, revealing very toned arms.. “you must be Steve, I’m Peter.”

“I am indeed, it’s great to meet you, Peter.” Steve smiled, offering his hand. Peter’s hand felt small in his grip, and he stepped back to let Steve into the apartment.

“Hey, MJ.” Steve offered a smile in her direction.

“Steven.” MJ raised her hand in greeting, her eyes on the TV.

“So, we should probably get going, if that’s alright?” Steve asked, nodding towards the door.

“Definitely,” Peter smiled, feeling very enthused about his evening. “Bye MJ.”

“Try to have him home by ten. Steve.” MJ turned to them, a serious look on her face.

“I’ll try.” Steve nodded, a small smile on his face. “see you later MJ.”

“I was thinking,” Steve turned to Peter as they headed for the elevator. “why don’t we go see a movie and then maybe get some pizza? Or is that a little too ritzy for a first date?” He winked.

“Maybe,” Peter shrugged, a smile wide on his face. “but I’ll overlook it. Did you have a movie in mind?”

“There’s that World War One romance,, it’s meant to be pretty good. Or is that too boring?” Steve asked as Peter pressed the button for the elevator.

“No, no, that sounds great. I was just reading about it the other day.” Peter was impressed, so far Steve was all he could hope for, attractive, smart, funny, this _had_ been a good idea.

-

It was official, Steve was the _perfect_ date. He had held every single door for Peter, had paid for the movie and treated Peter to the large combo popcorn, he hadn’t tried the stupid ‘yawn manoeuvre’, and as they were walking down the street to get some dinner, he was able to express his thoughts on the movie more eloquently than ‘it was fine’. When they were in the pizza place, he listened enthusiastically as Peter talked, expressed an interest in his hobbies, friends, ambitions. When he talked about his own, his eyes lit up with passion, and Peter found it infectious. He was..perfect, practically. (He even taught free art classes for children on Saturday mornings, which made Peter rethink his usual Saturday morning routine of sleeping til eleven and then eating cheerios in bed while watching Netflix)

Yet..Peter didn’t feel any kind of spark. He wouldn’t have thought anything of it if he didn’t know, deep down, that if this date had taken place a couple of weeks back, he’d probably be trying not to drool all over Steve right now. 

If someone like Steve didn’t ignite any kind of feeling in Peter then he knew he was in trouble. Though maybe he just needed more time. He’d been on dates much worse than this and still ended up seeing the guy again, so, if Steve was willing then Peter was determined to see him again. 

“I gotta say,” Steve smiled, wiping his hands on a napkin. “this is one of the best dates I’ve had in a while.”

“Me too,” Peter smiled, frantically pushing down the memory of his father’s arm around his waist. “I’m having a great time.”

“Good, I’m glad,” Steve looked relieved, picking up his soda. “I’m sorry if this is too forward but would you maybe want to go out again some time?”

“I’d love to,” Peter smiled, feeling relieved himself. He was sure he just needed to give Steve more time, that was all.

They exchanged numbers, and once they finished dinner they headed back out into the night. Steve was going on to a friend’s gig (‘As a band, they’re not great, but as people..well, it’s nice to be supportive’), and very kindly waited for Peter’s Uber to arrive. Once it had, he gave Peter a kiss on the cheek (because on top of everything else, Steve had consistently proved himself to be a complete gentleman) and bid him a goodnight. 

“Hey,” MJ got up from the couch when Peter got home, looking him over. “how was it?”

“It was great, yeah,” Peter smiled, heading into the kitchen and getting himself a glass of water. “we’re going out again, actually.”

“I see,” MJ placed the empty plastic bowl in her hand on the counter before grabbing the bag of Doritos from the cabinet and pouring some into the bowl. “well I think I can safely say it’s about time you finally went on a date, how long had it been?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Peter took a long drink of water, not meeting MJ’s eye. “I’ve been on one. And it was very good.”

“Well then, that settles that.” MJ smiled, gently nudging Peter before heading back to the living room.

-

When MJ had told Peter that Steve had mentioned really liking him, the guilt was strong. In spite of his best efforts to convince himself otherwise, Peter still wasn’t attracted to Steve by the weekend. They’d been texting since Thursday, and arranged to go out again on Sunday night, and Peter liked Steve a lot, he really did, but just wasn’t feeling anything he knew he should. Anything he knew he would be feeling if..if he was a normal human being. 

He’d told everyone that the date was great, which it was, and naturally they assumed Peter was attracted to Steve. May had been thrilled when Peter told her about Steve, already keen to meet him. Tony had been so happy for him when Peter raved about the date (maybe, just maybe, overexaggerating a bit) and Peter felt his stomach twist. 

When he had his Saturday afternoon call with Ned, Peter told him (some of) the truth (making sure MJ had definitely left the apartment). He told him he’d been on a great date, which he had, but that he wasn’t feeling anything, and he wanted to, but it just wasn’t happening. Ned, in his wise way, told Peter to just give it some time, and if he still felt nothing in a week or so just end things. 

They moved on to other news, but the problem still lingered in Peter’s mind. Ned probably noticed Peter was distracted, but very tactfully didn’t mention it. A while later they said goodbye, and Peter jumped into the shower to get ready for dinner over at May’s.

-

“Hey you, come on in.” May smiled, giving Peter a hug and beckoning him into the apartment. 

“Hey, how are you?” Peter smiled, hanging up his hoodie and following May into the kitchen.

“Good, yeah, how about you?” May stirred the pasta on the stove as Peter noticed the table was only set for two.

“I’m fine, can’t complain,” Peter leaned against the counter, lightly tapping his fingers against it. “is dad here?”

“Your _father_ ,” May turned to him, wooden spoon pointed at him. “after making a big fuss about asking Natasha out in the first place, is now out on their second date.” 

“Really?” Peter tried to hide the slight hurt in his voice, clearing his throat and moving over to the table. Clearly Natasha was more than just ‘nice.’

“Yeah, it’s typical Tony behaviour. But, I have to admit I think they make a cute couple.” May smiled, grabbing two plates down from the cabinet.

“Mm,” Peter poured two glasses of wine, taking a long drink from one. “good for them.” 

“Speaking of cute couples,” May grinned, setting the plate down as Peter walked over to the stove and drained the pasta. “how’s Steve doing?”

“He’s good,” Peter smiled, thinking of the selfie Steve had sent him earlier with paint all over him. ( _‘I swear I didn’t start the paint fight, but I wasn’t gonna give up easy.’)_ , gently shaking the colander and leaving it on the side. “we’re going to a gig tomorrow.”

“How fun,” May gave him a gentle nudge, dishing the pasta onto the plates as Peter stirred the bolognese. “listen, if he has a brother feel free to let me know.”

“I’ll keep it in mind.” He smiled.

Peter ended up staying at May’s for longer than he usually would, MJ had texted to say she was staying at her girlfriend’s place and he didn’t feel like going back to an empty apartment. He ended up having a great time, him and May getting drunk and laughing at the cheesy movie they put on. By eleven he was well and truly blitzed, deciding to call for an Uber. He gave May a hug goodbye and slowly made his way down the stairs, holding onto the wall for support. Once he got outside the cool air made him realise how drunk he was, steadying himself as he checked how long his Uber would be.

“Pete, is that you?”

Peter frowned, turning in the direction of the noise, smiling when he saw his father walking towards him. He was dressed in a navy suit, which Peter found odd until he realised that Tony was probably just coming back from his date. He hated that he was actually _grateful_ his father was alone.

“Hey, dad,” Peter tucked his hands into his back pockets, glancing back at the street. “how was your date?” He cringed when he heard how enthusiastically he’d asked, worrying he’d sounded sarcastic.

“It was fun, actually. Nat had a work party and she invited me at the last minute, sorry I couldn’t make it to dinner,” Tony smiled apologetically. “but it looks like you two had fun without me.”

Nat. Not Natasha. _Nat,_ Peter thought pettily. When did _that_ happen?

“So we all had a fun night,” Peter smiled, willing the Uber to hurry up. “that’s..great.”

“You got a ride coming? Or are you just standing out here for the hell of it?” Tony smirked, and Peter looked away, feeling stupidly annoyed. 

“I called for an Uber, it should be here any minute so..” Peter muttered, folding his arms.

“You want me to wait with you?” Tony asked, and Peter’s instinct was to say yes, but he was deep in petulant territory.

“No thanks, you can go up. I’ll be fine.” Peter gestured towards the building, forcing himself to smile.

He was nothing more than a child, and he knew it.

“Alright. if you insist,” Tony smiled softly, guilt coursing through Peter. “make sure to have some water when you get back, and get a good night’s sleep. Text me when you get home, okay?” Tony embraced him a hug, his cologne enveloping Peter, the younger man unable to resist burying his face in his father’s neck.

“Okay,” Peter nodded, smiling softly when Tony rubbed his back. “will do. Goodnight, dad.”

“Night, Pete.” Tony smiled, giving him a wink before heading into the building.

Eventually the Uber showed up, and Peter gave a last look at the building before heading into the car, a small smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So when I said slow burn I meant..well, slooow burn 🤦 I swear I don't enjoy writing mentally anguished Peter..honest 👀 
> 
> Thank you for the support so far, it's so so appreciated, and it really just makes this story so much more fun and easier to write knowing that you enjoy it so please feel free to leave feedback ❤️


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter and Tony find themselves on another date..

“So how’s it going with you and Steve?” Wanda asked as she and Peter walked through the park, shawarma boxes in hand as they looked for an empty bench.

“Pretty good, actually,” Peter smiled softly. It wasn’t completely untrue, they’d been dating for a couple of weeks and Peter thought Steve was great, and he had so much fun when they were together. They hadn’t had sex yet, but they’d done some heavy petting on Steve’s (ridiculously comfortable for an antique) couch. Peter was still working on rooting out the spark that had yet to appear, determined that he’d wake up one day and realise he was crazy about Steve. “He..oh, hang on.”

Peter took his buzzing phone from his pocket, Steve’s name flashing up on the screen.

“Speak of the devil.” Peter smiled, showing Wanda his phone as she laughed. 

“I’ll go on ahead, take your time.” Wanda smiled, giving Peter’s arm a quick squeeze before heading on through the park.

“Hey, Steve.” Peter answered the phone, slowing his pace slightly while keeping an eye on where Wanda was going.

“Hey, babe. How’s it going?” 

“Good, me and Wanda are just out for lunch, how about you?”

“I’m just about to have something myself. Don’t get too jealous but uh..I do have a homemade bologna sandwich _and_ a banana waiting for me.”

“Too late, I’m jealous,” Peter sighed dramatically, smiling when Steve laughed. “how’s work going?”  
  


“It’s the usual sunshine and rainbows. I actually had MJ come by earlier and inform me that I may need to be used as an alibi later, so that was fun. How about you?”

“Don’t worry about that, she does that to me all the time. As for work well, you know what it’s like when you’re working in an ugly building with miserable middle-aged people who call you ‘Kid’ and think you’re only there to make coffee. It’s a _riot_.”

“You have my full sympathy,” Steve soothed, his tone warm. “and I think I know just how to cheer you up. Some of us here are going out for a drink after work, you’re welcome to come.”  
  


“That sounds great,” Peter waved over to Wanda, who had managed to find a free bench. “text me on the details and I’ll see you there?”

“You got it. Enjoy your lunch.” 

“Enjoy your banana,” Peter grinned. “see you tonight.”

“How is he?” Wanda asked as Peter sat down, cracking open his lunch.

“He’s good,” Peter mixed up the food in the box in his hand, the smell absolutely heavenly. “he actually invited me out after work, you wanna come?”

“I’d love to, but I have a date tonight.” Wanda announced just as Peter took a bite.

“Mm,” He smiled excitedly through a mouthful of salad, chewing quickly. “oh my god, that’s great! Who with?”

“It’s a blind date, actually, a friend of mine set us up.” Wanda smiled, taking a bite.

“Do you know anything at all about them? Are you excited? Am I asking too many questions?” Peter beamed, laughing as Wanda waved her hand.

“Not at all, don’t worry,” The redhead smiled, wiping her mouth with her napkin. “all I was told is that he’s a college professor, he’s British, and apparently exactly my type, so I’m pretty excited.” 

“Well I want all the details tomorrow, just so you know.” Peter winked, taking another bite of his lunch.

“I’ll keep that in mind. If it goes as well as your blind date did then I should be so lucky.” Wanda gently nudged Peter, and he felt guilt course through him. Of course, on the surface he’d gotten the luck of the draw when it came to blind dates. 

“You never know.” Peter forced a smile, looking away from his friend, afraid he’d end up blurting out the truth if he said anymore.

-

“Hey, you made it.” Steve beamed when Peter waved over to him, sitting at a table with five others Peter didn’t recognise, and MJ.

“I sure did.” Peter nodded, slipping into the seat beside MJ and Steve, the latter giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Everyone, this is Peter, Peter, this is Sam, Josh, Deena, Aaron, Carla and, you obviously know MJ.” Steve gestured to the others around the table, Peter smiling politely and trying to memorize their names.

“Nice to meet you all,” Peter turned to MJ, a smile on his face. “MJ, was it?”

“It’s a good thing you’re cute, because you’re not funny.” MJ raised an eyebrow as the others laughed, Peter feeling more relaxed.

“I was just gonna get another drink, what would you like?” Steve asked, gently squeezing Peter’s thigh. Nothing, not so much as a little jolt. 

“Whatever you’re having, I don’t mind.” Peter smiled.

“Alright, anyone else?” Steve asked, being greeted with a flurry of answers.

“Sam, give me a hand?” Steve asked, getting up from his chair. 

“Sure.” Sam grinned, getting up before the two of them headed over to the bar.

“So I guess I should tell you,” MJ glanced over to Carla before looking back at Peter. “Carla is my girlfriend.”

“Oh,” Peter smiled, trying not to get too excited lest MJ murder him with a single glance. “it’s so nice to meet you at last.” Carla was beautiful, with olive skin and dark green eyes, her honey blonde hair thrown up on her head in a messy bun. 

“Likewise,” Carla smiled, gently nudging MJ. “she’s told me so many stories about you it’s great to finally have a face to put to them.”

“All horribly embarrassing I hope.” Peter grinned as Carla laughed. 

“Maybe one or two.” The blonde smiled, as MJ rolled her eyes, a small smile on her face.

“Do you work with MJ?” Peter asked, glancing over to Steve and Sam at the bar, the two deep in conversation.

“No, I’m a make-up artist. But we met at work, when MJ was interviewing a client of mine.” Carla smiled at MJ and Peter felt his heart melting.

“How sweet,” Peter smiled. “I love stories like that.”

“What did we miss?” Steve smiled as he and Sam set the drinks out on the table, handing Peter a beer, their fingers touching as he did.

“I was just regaling Peter with the tale of how MJ and I met,” Carla smiled. “how did you guys meet?”

“Well MJ here actually set us up,” Steve smiled, draping his arm over the back of Peter’s chair. “she’s a regular cupid.”

“Aw, babe.” Carla giggled, gently squeezing MJ’s hand, who gave her a smile back.

Peter grabbed his beer, taking a long drink as he felt Steve’s hand stroke his back.

-

“Oh, hey.” Peter smiled when he bumped into Sam on the way back from the bathroom.

“Hey, man,” Sam grinned. “having a good night?”

“Yeah, everybody’s really nice,” Peter beamed, placing his hands in his back pockets. “it’s been great to meet some of Steve’s friends.”

“Well we’ve been asking Steve to bring you out,” Sam smiled, moving in by the wall as a woman passed by them. “he’s really been building you up and it’s good to know he wasn’t exaggerating.” 

“Oh, really?” Peter flushed, feeling incredibly embarrassed. “that’s so sweet.”

“Just between us,” Sam glanced back towards the bar before turning back to Peter, lowering his voice. “I don;t think he’s felt this way about anyone since..well, in a long time.”

“He’s an amazing guy,” Peter was sure his face was redder than the walls around them. “I like him a lot.”

“Good to know,” Sam gave Peter a pat on the back, a genuine smile on his face. “alright, I’ll see you in a minute.”

“Sure,” Peter nodded, forcing himself to smile. “nice talking to you.”

Peter walked back into the bar, spotting Steve and Carla at the bar talking. Steve caught Peter’s eye and waved, a charming smile on his face. 

‘Why can’t I just be attracted to him? Why?’ Peter thought to himself, anyone would be lucky to have Steve, and he knew he was, and yet..sighing, he pushed his thoughts down to his stomach, putting on a smile as he headed over to the table.

-

“No way,” Peter laughed, raising an eyebrow as Ned shook his head, rubbing a hand over his face.

“Swear to God, right in her lap. So as you can guess she hasn’t called. But, enough of my bachelor tales, how’s it going with Mr. Wonderful?”

“His name is Steve,” Peter rolled his eyes playfully. “and things are going good.”

“You sure about that?” Ned asked, half quietly to himself.

“What do you mean?” Peter tried to laugh it off, worried his guilt was written across his face.

“ _Well_..” Ned shrugged. “it’s just, whenever I ask about Steve you never seem that enthusiastic, is all. Is it still not..you know..?”

Ned was Peter’s oldest and best friend in the world, how the hell could he look him in the eye and say _‘No it’s still not..you know, because I’m dating someone I don’t feel any romantic or sexual attraction to, because I’m terrified of my increasingly inappropriate thoughts about my own father.’_

“Things are good, we’re just taking it slow,” Peter smiled, wanting the ground to open up and let him fall to the center of the earth. “that’s all.”

“Okay,” Ned smiled, and Peter glanced down, wondering what was taking the floor so long to open. “if you say so. Hey, did I tell you about what happened at the meeting the other day?”

“Not yet,” Peter felt a wave of relief at the change of subject, even if he knew it was only to be nice. “go on, don’t keep me in suspense.”

-

“Hey, dad,” Peter answered the phone, grabbing his shoes and sitting down on his bed. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, Pete, everything’s fine,” Tony laughed. “I don’t know if May told you but she has a date tonight, so I was wondering if you’d like to come out for dinner tonight instead?”  
  


“Oh, definitely, I’d love to.” Peter felt his heart skip a beat-

“Great, I already invited Nat and I was thinking you could invite Steve.” 

And promptly fell down into his stomach.

“Sure,” He cleared his throat, trying to hide the disappointment in his voice. “that sounds like fun. I’ll give Steve a call and ask if he’s free.”

“I figured it was about time I met him, and you met Nat properly. I thought this way it might be a little bit more casual, what do you think?” Tony asked, and Peter hated the hopeful tone in his voice.

“Mmhm,” Peter nodded, biting his lip. “I can’t wait. Let me know the details and I’ll see you tonight.”

  
  


“Will do, see you then.” 

Peter ended the call and threw the phone on the bed, burying his face in his hands.

-

“Ah, there you are.” Tony smiled, standing up as Peter and Steve approached the table. 

“Mr. Stark, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Steve smiled, accepting Tony’s hand. Peter tried frantically not to notice how Tony’s navy sweater clung to him in all the right places. 

“Likewise, Steve, good to see you , Pete.” Tony smiled, gesturing to the empty seats across from him. “Take a seat. Nat’s running a little late, she’ll be here in a minute.”

“This restaurant is great, I bring my parents here all the time.” Steve smiled, being his usual charming self. Peter poured them both a glass of water, taking a long drink.

“A man with good taste,” Tony smiled, winking at Peter. “would you two like a drink? I was going to order a bottle of wine for the table but if you’d prefer something else?”

“Wine sounds great, dad.” Peter smiled, ready to drown his sorrows.

“Perfect.” Steve nodded, taking a drink of water.

“Alright, any preference?” Tony smiled, picking up the wine list.

“If you don’t mind my saying, the Châteauneuf Du Pape is excellent.” Steve suggested, and Tony’s face lit up.

“I think this one is a keeper, Pete.” Tony grinned, gesturing to the waiter.

“I’m glad you approve.” Peter should’ve known there was no way Tony (or anyone) could disapprove of Steve. 

Once the wine was ordered, it wasn’t long before Tony waved over to someone behind Steve and Peter.

“Here’s Nat,” He smiled, going to stand up. Peter braced himself, reminding himself that he was an adult, not a child. He could be polite, nice, and charming. 

“Hey, sorry I’m late,” the beautiful redhead appeared, dressed in a simple black midi dress that hugged her curves, her hair perfectly curled and sweeping her shoulders. She gave Tony a quick kiss on the cheek, his hand on her waist as Steve went to stand up, Peter following suit.

“Peter, Steve, this is Dr, Romanoff.” Tony grinned as Natasha rolled her eyes playfully. 

“Natasha, please. It’s lovely to meet you Steve, great to see you again Peter, it’s been a while hasn’t it?” Natasha smiled, giving them both a kiss on the cheek before sitting down beside Tony and opposite Steve. 

“Likewise,” Steve smiled.

“It’s lovely to see you again too.” Peter smiled, determined to be civil. 

The wine arrived, as did the menus and Peter was relieved to have something to focus his attention on.

Before long, they’d ordered, and Peter was already halfway through his first glass of wine.

“You’re a doctor, Natasha? What do you specialise in?” Steve asked while Peter buried his nose in his menu.

“I’m a neonatal surgeon, I’m currently based over at Beth Israel.” Natasha smiled.

Of _course_ she was, Peter thought, not necessarily unkindly.

“You wouldn’t happen to know Matthew Rogers would you? He’s a cardiovascular surgeon over there.” Steve asked, and Natasha nodded, smiling brightly.

“I do, we’re actually really close friends, we were in med school together.” 

“He’s my uncle.” Steve grinned, and he and Natasha delved into a conversation.

“So,” Tony leaned forward slightly, and Peter felt his heart jump to his throat. “At least we know they get along.”

“Definitely,” Peter smiled, taking another sip of wine. “she’s really great, dad.”

“You think so?” Tony sounded genuinely happy.

“Yeah,” Peter nodded, wringing his hands under the table. “I do.”

“Thank you, Pete, I’m glad you think so. As for Steve, he’s so perfect for you. I’m really happy for you.” Tony smiled, and Peter’s heart shattered.

Dinner was delicious, the wine was smoother than silk, and the conversation flowed naturally, lots of laughter and smiling.

Yet all Peter could focus on was Tony’s hand on the back of Natasha’s chair, the way he’d smile at her, whisper in her ear when Steve and Peter talked. 

It was a relief when dessert was finally over, (Peter had to excuse himself and almost _run_ to the bathroom when Natasha started feeding Tony some of her chocolate torte) until Natasha suggested they all go for a drink at a nearby bar. Tony and Steve had agreed, because they were normal people who were having a fun night out with their partners. 

-

“Pete?”

“Mm? Sorry, couldn’t hear you over the music.” Peter flushed, Tony raising an eyebrow at him as they waited at the bar. Steve and Natasha had grabbed a booth, far enough from the stage that they could still hear the band, yet not so loud they couldn’t talk.

“I was just asking what you want to drink, though has someone had too much already?” Tony grinned.

Oh god had Peter been making a complete fool of himself? He lost count after his fourth glass of wine, and he wasn’t exactly a seasoned drinker, even with four years of college behind him.

“I’m fine, dad, honestly.” Peter smiled, trying to concentrate, his head feeling blurry.

“I’m just teasing,” Tony smirked, turning back to the bar. “wine okay?”

“Yeah,” Peter nodded. “great.”

He stayed quiet until they got back to the booth, sliding in beside Steve, who gently draped his arm over Peter’s shoulders. Natasha gave Tony a quick peck on the cheek, his arm going around her waist.

Peter was filled with gratitude when Tony and Steve struck up a conversation about music, and Natasha excused herself to go to the bathroom, leaving him to gulp down his wine and sit in silence. 

Until Natasha returned, whispering something to Tony who laughed softly, whispering something back. He looked at her like he’d looked at Peter that night, he couldn’t take it anymore.

“Would you excuse me, please?” Peter smiled politely, draining the last of his fine.

“Are you okay, babe?” Steve whispered, looking concerned.

“Fine, just need the bathroom.” Peter gently squeezed his arm, refusing to look over at Tony and Natasha, who were still whispering to each other.

“Alright.” Steve smiled, gently rubbing Peter’s back before he slinked out of the booth, trying not to stumble as he made his way to the bathroom.

Once he was safely ensconced in the stall, Peter slammed the toilet lid down, sitting on the top of the seat and letting the tears fall.

-

“You okay Pete?” Tony asked when Peter returned. He was sure he’d managed to reduce the redness in his eyes, maybe he hadn’t.

“I’m good,” Peter nodded, sliding into the booth beside Steve. The older man draped his arm across Peter’s shoulders and he couldn’t resist snuggling into his chest. 

They all watched the band for a while, Peter starting to feel a little better. Or maybe it was just the alcohol. Steve’s cologne smelled incredible, and his embrace was warm and comfortable. Peter finally thought that maybe, he was finally starting to..

He glanced over at the other side of the booth and regret instantly flooded him. Tony was gently tapping his fingers against his beer, nodding along to the music. The soft light illuminated his face, his eyes bright. He noticed Peter looking at him and turned to him with a smile, giving him a wink before turning away again.

Steve gently squeezed his shoulder, and Peter smiled up at the man, guilt churning in his stomach as he realised that the feelings for his father weren't going away. 

He was well and truly _fucked_. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, how about really slow burn? 🤦
> 
> I don't intend to send Pete into emotional turmoil, I really..try not to. But it'll be worth it, I promise 😉
> 
> Thank you again for the support, it means the world ❤️


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, the heart just wants what it wants..

“Hi sweetheart,” Pepper smiled, giving Peter a kiss on the cheek as he approached the table in the busy restaurant. “before I forget, I made you a doctor’s appointment for the 18th. Don’t forget.”

“Nice to see you too Aunt Pep,” Peter laughed, gently squeezing her arm before moving over to give Rhodey a hug. “I’ll be sure set a reminder. Good to see you too, Uncle Rhodey.”

“How’ve you been, Pete?” Rhodey asked as they all sat down, handing Peter over a menu.

“Good, yeah, I’ve been..really good.” Peter smiled, a little too enthusiastically. “how about you guys?”

“We’re good,” Pepper smiled, taking a sip of water. “we’ve been meaning to take you out to dinner for weeks, to properly celebrate your internship.”

“Well it’s very much appreciated,” Peter grinned. He _loved_ it when Pepper and Rhodey took him out for dinner, they always chose the best restaurants and, thanks to their names (as well as Pepper being a major CEO, Rhodey was the head coach for the Syracuse football team), they always got a great table and excellent service. “thank you guys.”

“Hey, it’s the least we can do for our favourite godson.” Rhodey smiled, picking up his menu. 

“Oh, did Tony tell you we had him and Natasha over for dinner last night?” Pepper asked, examining the wine list with a careful eye.

“No,” Peter cleared his throat, focusing on his menu. “he uh..he didn’t mention it.”

“She’s _fabulous_ , isn’t she?” Pepper smiled, and Peter forced himself to smile. “it’s about time he met someone, if I’m being totally honest.” 

Peter was sure he noticed Rhodey looking at him a little suspiciously as Pepper talked, quickly brushing off the feeling. 

“He said you all went out over the weekend, when do _we_ get to meet this Steve we’ve heard so much about?” Rhodey asked, setting down his menu.

“Oh, you know what?” Pepper waved over to the waitress. “if the two of you are free on Friday night then I insist you come over to ours for dinner.” 

“Are you sure?” Peter asked. The more people that met Steve (and inevitably adored him) just added to Peter’s guilt. 

“Absolutely.” Pepper smiled as the waitress arrived.

A little while later, Peter had relaxed, chatting enthusiastically about the internship, his friends, Pepper and Rhodey’s upcoming trip to Italy that Peter was absolutely _not_ jealous of, totally forgetting about his stupid problems for a while.

“Ugh, I’m so full,” Peter groaned softly, setting his cutlery down on his empty plate. “but it was so good.”

“So I guess you won’t be having the chocolate cake then?” Rhodey raised an eyebrow, taking a drink of wine. 

“Well..” Peter smiled, his aunt and uncle laughing. 

“Thought so,” Pepper smiled, reaching into her purse and taking out her buzzing phone. “Honey, could you order me the lemon posset? I’ll be right back.”

“You got it.” Rhodey smiled, watching as his wife got up and headed out of the restaurant.

“So,” He turned to Peter, sitting forward. “you wanna tell me what’s going on with you?”

“What?” Peter put his wine glass down, a flush colouring his face.

“Come on, Pete, you haven’t been yourself all night. What’s going on?” Rhodey looked genuinely concerned, and Peter knew he couldn't lie to him, but he also couldn’t be honest. The thoughts were bad enough in his mind, they didn’t need to be in anyone else’s.

“It’s nothing.” Peter was a terrible liar, always was. 

“Alright,” Rhodey raised an eyebrow, sitting back in his chair and taking a drink of wine. “we’ll just wait for your aunt to get back and I’ll let her join in on the investigation.”

“Fine,” Peter sighed, knowing Pepper would take one look at him and just _know_. “I’ll tell you.” Well, he’d tell him..something. “There’s someone I really like, a lot. I can’t stop thinking about them, and it’s..it’s wrong.”

“Right,” Rhodey nodded. “because you’re with Steve.”

“ _Right_ ,” Peter nodded, putting on his most convincing face. “and I really, really like Steve. He’s so handsome and smart and sweet, and we have so much fun when we’re together, but..I can’t stop thinking about the other person.”

“Is it an ex? A friend?” Rhodey asked, and Peter couldn’t believe he was actually (kind of) talking about this. 

“It’s..it’s a friend. A friend who’s..” Peter stopped, taking a breath. “who’s _amazing_ , and I never saw them in that way but I do now, and I don’t know what to do.”

“Do they know how you feel?” Rhodey gently squeezed Peter’s arm across the table.

“No,” Peter shook his head, feeling tears brimming, pushing them down. “and I think it would only hurt everyone if I told them. They’re seeing someone, and I’m with Steve. I should just forget about it, forget I said anything.”

“Hey, hey” Rhodey soothed, softly rubbing Peter’s arm. “do you think there’s _any_ chance your friend feels the same way about you?”

Peter had often thought about that. 

“I don’t know,” He sighed, wiping his eye. “sometimes I think they do, but I stand to ruin so much if they don’t and I tell them how I feel.”

“Peter, I’ll be honest,” Rhodey sat up, glancing around before leaning in close. “if you really like this person, and think you could have a real future together, you should tell them. Maybe they won’t feel the same way, maybe they will. That’s the risk you have to take. Hell, it took me a year to build up the courage to ask Pepper out and look at us now, twenty two years together. I’m not saying it works out that way for everyone but I do know that I would’ve regretted it forever if I hadn’t taken the chance.”

“I’ll think about it,” Peter smiled softly. “I promise.” 

“Let me know if it works out, and you know me and your aunt are always here if you want to talk.” Rhodey smiled, waving over Peter’s shoulders as Pepper came back to the table, sitting down and slipping her phone back into her bag.

“They’re taking their time with dessert, aren’t they?” She frowned.

“Oh, we actually forgot to order, can you believe that?” Rhodey smiled, waving over to the waitress.

“Seriously?” Pepper raised an eyebrow, looking between them.

“It’s my fault, Aunt Pep,” Peter smiled apologetically. “I got carried away talking about work, and Uncle Rhodey was too polite to interrupt me.” 

“You two are as bad as each other sometimes.” Pepper smiled, Peter giving Rhodey a grateful look.

-

“Hey, welcome to my humble abode.” Peter smiled, gesturing for Wanda to come in.

“Thank you,” She smiled, walking into the apartment. “it’s exactly how I imagined it, walls and everything” 

“You’re too kind.” Peter grinned, gesturing towards the kitchen. “MJ and Carla shouldn’t be long, you want a drink?”

“I’m fine, thanks. Any idea what we should see?”

“No idea, but fair warning, don’t let MJ choose. That’s a mistake that I only made once.” Peter shuddered.

“I’ll keep it in mind.” Wanda nodded, smiling as she leant against the counter.

“Before I forget,” Peter grabbed his jacket from the counter, throwing it on. “how was your date? It was what, the third..?” He grinned.

“Yes,” Wanda rolled her eyes playfully. “it went very well, thank you.”

“I’ll be expecting more details, just so you know.” Peter winked as he heard MJ’s bedroom door open, her and Carla heading through to the living room.

“I’ll post them to you.” Wanda smirked, heading over to the girls with Peter.

“Hey, Wanda.” MJ gave her a nod, a high level of greeting, Peter was impressed. 

“Hey,” Carla gave her a quick hug, throwing Peter a smile over her shoulder. “so, how was your big third date? I am available for weddings.”

“Not you too.” Wanda raised an eyebrow as Carla and Peter grinned at each other.

“Ignore the children,” MJ took Wanda’s arm, sticking her tongue out at her girlfriend and best friend, who promptly repeated the gesture. “we got a movie to see.”

“Any big weekend plans, Pete?” Carla asked as they made their way down the street, MJ and Wanda deep in conversation ahead of them.

“Steve invited me to that work thing he and MJ got roped into on Friday night, and then we’re having dinner with my dad and aunt on Saturday.” Peter smiled, taking his wallet and keys from the hall table.

“You guys are such a _couple_ , it’s too cute.” Carla sighed, smiling at MJ.

“And you and MJ are..just _really_ good friends?” Peter teased as Carla laughed.

“You know what I mean. I adore MJ, and she’s perfect the way she is, but I wouldn’t mind some of the real sweet stuff sometimes, like when Steve fixes your hair or smiles at you when you’re not looking.” Carla explained. 

“If it’s any consolation, MJ does smile at you when you’re not looking, and she talks about you all the time. Just don’t tell her I said that.” Peter gently nudged the blonde, the two of them laughing softly.

-

“Hey,” Tony smiled as he opened the door, a dishcloth thrown over his shoulder. “come in.”

“Hey,” Peter smiled, walking into the apartment as Tony closed the door behind him.

“Steve not with you?” Tony asked, taking the cloth from his shoulder.

“No, he had to go to a family thing, he couldn’t get out of it. He sends his apologies.” Peter had been devastated when Steve told him he couldn’t join him, dreading the thought of a night alone with Tony and Natasha.

“Well then it’s just the two of us tonight,” Tony smiled, gesturing towards the kitchen and walking over to it.. “Natasha got called into work and May has once again gone out with her mystery date, so I hope you don’t mind spending some quality time with your old dad.”

“Always,” Peter beamed, feeling a little embarrassed at his enthusiasm. “what’s for dinner?”

“I decided to go all out, so I made filet mignon.” Tony announced proudly.

“Wow.” Peter followed him into the kitchen, wrinkling his nose at the slight burning smell in the air.

“Yeah, I say made, I meant horribly burnt and threw out.” Tony explained, heading over to the sink and pulling open the middle drawer beside it. “so to compensate” he took out a handful of takeout menus, handing them over to Peter. “your choice.”

“You sure know how to spoil a guy.” Peter raised an eyebrow, sitting down at the table and flicking through the menus.

“I pride myself on it,” Tony winked, grabbing a bottle of wine. “what’re you thinking?”

_That I want you to kiss me so badly it’s killing me slowly._

“Uh..chinese?” Peter cleared his throat, shifting slightly in his seat.

“Perfect,” Tony smiled, pouring out two glasses. “now I know it’s just the two of us, but I’m starving so let’s go nuts and order half the menu.”

“If you insist.” Peter shrugged playfully as Tony laughed, walking over and giving him a glass of wine.

“Like you could resist.” Tony smiled, going to get his own glass.

_You have no idea_ . Peter thought guiltily, taking a drink and trying not to stare at his father’s (perfect, _why was it so perfect_ ) ass.

-

“Not this again,” Tony sighed, leaning back on the couch in resignation.

“Dad, all I ask is you give it a chance.” Peter pleaded, grabbing some spring rolls from the veritable buffet on the coffee table and dropping them on his plate. 

“I just don’t see the appeal is all.” Tony shrugged, picking up his glass of wine.

“I'll convince you yet.” Peter grinned, sitting back, grabbing the remote and pressing play, the Stranger Things intro playing on the TV.

“Go for it.” Tony smiled, taking a drink.

-

“Here we go,” Peter smiled, pouring Tony another glass of wine before topping up his own glass. “cheers.”

“Steady, Pete. If I didn’t know better I’d think you were trying to get me drunk.” Tony teased, gently nudging Peter, sending a shiver down the younger man’s spine.

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Peter murmured, setting the bottle down on the table and leaning back on the couch, curling his legs under his body as he felt a pleasant wave of drunkenness wash over him.

“Alright there?” Tony grinned, gently rubbing Peter’s leg. 

“Perfect.” Peter smiled, wanting to revel in the moment.

“You tired? You look like you could drop off at any minute.” Tony smiled as Peter shook his head.

  
“Just relaxing, dad. You should try it some time.” Peter smirked, resting his head on his hand.

“Oh really?” Tony raised an eyebrow, spreading his arm wide and beckoning Peter closer. “come on, relax with your old dad. If you’re not too old for that now.”

“Never.” Peter didn’t need to be told twice, snuggling up against his dad, draping his arm across his waist as Tony laid his arm around Peter’s shoulders. They used to do this all the time when Peter was younger, curl up for hours watching movies until Peter fell asleep, Tony carrying him to bed.

“This..” Tony gestured to the TV, the show now onto the second series. “isn’t too bad.”

“I knew you’d like it if you gave it a chance.” Peter smiled happily, trying not to _purr_ when Tony gently ran his hands through Peter’s hair.

“Yeah,” Tony smiled softly. “me too.”

-

“You want any more of this?” Tony gestured to the remnants of dinner on the coffee table, sitting up. 

“No, I’m good.” Peter yawned. It was only ten, the alcohol had well and truly gotten the better of him. 

“Okay, let me clean some of this up, you relax.” Tony gently stood up, Peter snuggling into the couch. 

Peter half-watched the show, half-watched his dad watch the show while cleaning up, humming along to the music under his breath.

After a moment, Peter got up, his head spinning slightly. He stood up, pausing the show and heading into the kitchen, leaning against the counter and watching as Tony moved about the kitchen, emptying the remaining food into the trash and cleaning off the plates. 

“Enjoying the view?” Tony glanced back over his shoulder, a smile on his face.

“Couldn’t resist.” Peter smiled, Tony laughing as he stacked up the clean dishes.

Peter thought about what Rhodey had said, about just..telling his ‘friend’ how he felt. Maybe..no, tonight had been great, and Peter didn’t want to ruin it. But then, Tony would look over at him and smile, hum under his breath, make stupid jokes and Peter could barely contain himself.

“Dad?” Peter took a breath, watching as Tony stood beside him, drying the dishes.

“Yeah, Pete?” Tony smiled, looking over at him.

“I..” Before he could stop himself, greatly fueled by alcohol, nerves and sheer dumb courage, Peter pushed forward, pressing his lips against Tony’s.

For a moment, time stopped. Or so it felt. Peter couldn’t move, and felt a creeping panic rise in his body. Until..for a wonderful, brief, flickering second, he was sure Tony kissed him back, his hand gently cradling the back of Peter’s head. 

Then it was over, and Peter wasn’t sure if it had even happened.

"Pete.." Tony sighed, shaking his head. "This is wrong." 

So it _had_ happened.

Tony placed his hands on the counter, letting out a sigh. "I mean, I'm with Natasha, and I really care about her. And you're with Steve, and you two are so great together. Plus, I'm your dad, it's..it's inappropriate."

Tony hadn't freaked out, hadn't been shocked or angry. His _first_ reaction wasn't even 'I'm your dad', that had almost seemed..irrelevant, Peter dared to hope.

"If.." Peter looked over at Tony, who was standing in front of the sink, his hands gripping the counter. "if you _weren't_ my..would you want to?"

"We shouldn't be talking about this." Tony muttered, not looking at Peter.

"Just tell me, _please_." Peter begged, his heart threatening to burst from his chest.

"What would that do? Why should it matter? I _am_ your dad, Pete. I am." Tony sighed, his knuckles turning white.

"Fine." Peter steeled himself, turning away. "I have to go."

"Peter you can't just leave," Tony finally looked at him. "please stay, we should talk."

"I can't," Peter looked away, his entire body feeling like it was shutting down. "you know why now. I'm sorry."

He walked out of the apartment without looking back, Tony calling after him but not stopping him. Once he was outside the building he grabbed his phone, hastily pulling up the number he wanted.

"Peter? Is everything okay?" 

"Yeah, everything's fine. Are you busy? I really need to see you."

"No, no I'm not busy at all. Come on over."

Time passed in a blur as Peter made his way towards the apartment, every step determined. Eventually, he was standing outside the door, his heart pounding. 

"Hey, come in." Steve smiled, stepping back and holding the door open. He looked exhausted, dressed in loose grey sweatpants and a tight white t-shirt. Peter could only assume he'd woken him when he called earlier. 

"Sorry to call so late," Peter sighed, stepping into the apartment and turning to look at Steve. "but.."

"Are you okay?" Steve asked, closing the door and looking concerned, walking over to the younger man and gently pressing the back of his hand to his forehead. 

"I'm fine," Peter looked up at Steve, his blue eyes full of worry. "honestly. I just.." He moved forward, pressing his lips against Steve's. 

It only took a second before Steve kissed back, his arms wrapping around Peter's waist. 

" _Steve_ ," Peter whispered as he pulled back, gently placing his hands on the older man's strong arms. "you want me, right?" 

"What kind of question is that? You know I do." Steve laughed softly, his eyes kind. 

"Then show me." Peter murmured, closing the distance between them once more. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So close, and yet so far..
> 
> I was so tempted to take the kiss further, but then I figured hey, just emotionally crush Peter some more 🤦
> 
> This story is such a joy to write and thanks to your wonderful support it inspires me to keep going and keep you dying slowly 🥰


	6. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get too much for Peter, and there's only one way he can deal with it.

Sunlight streamed into the room and over Peter’s sleeping figure. A soft groan escaped his lips as he slowly woke up, snuggling into a pillow that..that definitely wasn’t his.

“Morning.”

Peter looked up to find Steve walking over to him, placing a steaming mug down on the nightstand beside the bed.

“Morning.” Peter nodded, slowly easing himself up into a sitting position. He glanced down and noticed he was wearing a baggy grey t-shirt with the ‘Pratt Institute’ emblem on it. That definitely wasn’t his.

“Do you remember anything about last night?” Steve asked, gently sitting down on the bed.

“Not really,” Peter admitted. The last thing he could think of was kissing Steve, and then everything blacking out. Why was he even at Steve’s? Last night he’d gone to his dad’s. 

Oh god. Had that _really_ happened? Maybe it was a dream, maybe he hadn’t made a complete and utter _idiot_ of himself and possibly ruined his relationship with Tony forever. 

“Well I thought I should tell you that we didn’t do anything,” Steve explained, curling one leg up under himself. “you were way too drunk to properly consent to anything except sleeping.”

“I don’t deserve you, Steve.” Peter shook his head, letting out a deep breath.

“Don’t say that, you’re a beautiful, intelligent, frankly, incredible guy that deserves the world.” Steve smiled, and Peter wanted to curl up into a ball of guilt.

“You could have anyone you want in the entire world, and you’re with me, sometimes I wonder if I saved a busload of orphaned puppies or something to deserve even a second of your time.” Peter sighed as Steve shook his head.

“Not _anyone_ ,” The older man muttered under his breath before smiling at Peter. “I’m just glad I have you.”

“Oh come on, who wouldn’t want you?” Peter asked.

Me, he thought with great shame. Greatest guy in the world wants me, _me_ , and I..am so undeserving. He should be with someone who actually appreciates how wonderful he is, someone who knows how lucky they are to be able to call Steve theirs.

“Nothing, nobody.” Steve sighed, and Peter, a horrible, devious part of him decided to press the issue.

“Are you telling me there’s someone out there who..rejected you? That’s like winning the lottery and burning the ticket.” Peter raised an eyebrow as Steve shifted slightly, letting out an uncomfortable laugh.

You _hypocrite_ , Stark. You utter _hypocrite._

“You don’t want to hear about it, trust me.” Steve insisted, and Peter hated that he wanted to dig deeper into this. He tried to think positively. Maybe if there was some..long lost love of Steve’s that Peter could convince him to pursue again then..then Peter was a terrible, terrible person.

“If it’s any consolation,” Peter’s mouth started moving before his brain noticed. “I’m sure I could tell you some stories of my own.”

“Well,” Steve glanced over at the window as Peter looked down at his lap, gently running his fingers over the blanket. “I know it sounds a little..ridiculous, but back when I was in college there was this guy who I was just crazy about, full on head-over-heels in love with, and just when I was about to tell him how I felt, he told me he was with someone else. I thought I’d get over it, and for a while I did, but then about a year later they broke up, and I realised I still felt the same way. So I told him.”

“What happened?” Peter asked. Steve had sounded so heartbroken when he talked about the guy, and Peter wondered if he still had feelings for him. 

“He said that he was interested, but it was too raw, he wasn’t ready to be in a relationship again so soon. We weren’t as close after we graduated, but we still have some mutual friends. I guess you can’t miss what you never had huh?”

“Mm.” Peter nodded, looking over at Steve, a small smile on his face.

“But hey, that’s probably a little maudlin for a Sunday morning, how about we get dressed and I’ll take you out for breakfast?” Steve turned back to Peter, gently placing his hand on his thigh.

“Sure,” Peter smiled, a strange knot in his stomach. “sounds good.”

-

So, despite his reluctance to believe it to be true, Peter accepted late on Sunday night that he had in fact kissed his dad, and made a complete fool of himself. He didn’t hear from Tony all day Sunday, and he couldn’t blame the man. He was probably still reeling from being the object of his son’s affections.

Then, from Monday evening on, Tony did call. And text. Peter ignored them all, knowing what Tony would say and wanting to keep his heart somewhat intact. He knew he’d have to face him eventually, but right now he just wanted to block it all out.

Yet Tony persisted, calling every day, sending texts Peter stopped reading after a while. It really hit him on Wednesday how much he was hurting. He’d had plans for that night with Steve, going out for dinner with some of his friends and then out to a gig, which were immediately scuppered when he’d woken up with a fever and nausea (He knew last night’s takeout was suspicious) and ended up in bed all day hugging his pillow.

When five o’clock came around, Tony called. That call hurt Peter the most, watching his phone as it rang, tears flowing down his face.

Later in the evening Steve and Carla came by to pick up MJ, coming to Peter’s room to chat to him while MJ got ready, and he felt so lonely when they left, even though when they’d offered to stay home he’d insisted on them going on without him.

While he was braving some dry toast and watching Friends for the hundredth time on Netflix (The One With The Prom Video, one of his go-to favourites), Pepper called to invite him over to a barbecue at her and Rhodey’s house that Saturday, telling him to invite Steve, MJ and Carla too. 

She didn’t mention Tony, but Peter knew he’d be there. Natasha probably would too. Great.

At least there’d be plenty of other people there to act as a buffer, ideally Peter thought he could just somehow avoid his father any nobody would even notice. 

-

Turns out, it’s easy to ignore calls and texts, but much harder to avoid someone (especially someone you love and desire more than anyone else on earth) when they’re stood across a garden from you, feeling their eyes on your back while you resist the urge to walk over to them and declare your undying feelings.

“Peter?”

“Burger, please.” Peter snapped his attention back to Rhodey, who laughed to himself.

“I know that, I asked what sauce you want.” 

“Oh,” Peter flushed, rubbing a hand over his face. “sorry, uh..ketchup, please.”

“You got it,” Rhodey nodded, fixing up Peter’s burger before handing it over to him. “no Steve today?” 

“No, he’s sick at the moment.” Peter accepted the burger, holding the plate in his hands like it was about to break if he held it any tighter. Peter had nearly kissed Carla when she convinced MJ to come along, he couldn’t just _tell_ them he needed distractions so he’d made a big fuss about how fun it would be, and since Steve couldn’t make it he wanted to have some friends there. 

“That’s too bad, he’s a great kid.” Rhodey smiled. Inevitably, he and Pepper had loved Steve when he and Peter came by for dinner, singing his praises and telling Peter how happy they were for him. 

“So did you uh..did you talk to your _friend_ , yet?” Rhodey glanced around, lowering his voice. 

“No,” Peter shook his head, unable to meet his Uncle’s eye. “not..not _yet_. Waiting for the right time.”

“I see, well let me know when you do.” Rhodey gently patted his shoulder, and Peter nodded, taking a small bite of his burger.

“Will do,” Peter swallowed, forcing himself to smile. “I’m just gonna go get a drink.”

He glanced over to where Pepper, Tony and Natasha were talking to a tall, handsome blonde man Peter didn’t recognize. Well, Pepper was talking and Natasha was smiling and nodding. Tony almost looked..upset. He was looking at the man, but his expression was blank, his fingers lightly tapping against the beer bottle in his hand.

For a split second, Tony’s eyes met Peter’s and the younger man felt his heart jump into his throat as his father smiled softly at him before looking down at his beer. 

Taking a quick breath, Peter went over to one of the tables that had been set up, sitting down with MJ, Carla and Wanda setting his plate down before turning to the drinks table behind it and grabbing a soda, cracking it open before sitting down.

“Hey, what are you doing here?” He smiled at Wanda, sneaking a few fries from the basket in the middle of the table onto his plate.

“Well it turns out that my _boyfriend_ ,” She smiled over at the man talking to Pepper and Natasha, Tony now talking to Rhodey about something, the two of them looking serious. “is a friend of Rhodey, they both work at the same university.”

Boyfriend. They were exclusive. Steve and Peter had been dating for longer and they hadn’t even slept together yet. Steve had the patience of several saints.

“Oh, cool.” Peter smiled, shifting slightly in his seat as he was sure he could feel Tony looking at him.

“Having fun, Pete?” MJ asked, eyeing him suspiciously. 

“Of course, having a blast.” Peter took a large bite of his burger, immensely grateful when Carla started talking about a work story.

By the early evening, Peter had switched to beer and was pleasantly buzzed. He’d had a run in with Natasha, who had been utterly sweet and funny, and Peter applauded himself for being charming and polite, only if she’d come over to talk to him when he was on his fourth beer.

As relaxed as he’d become, a part of Peter still felt tense. He’d kept glancing over at Tony all day, part of him wanting to talk to his dad, and another part just wanting to admire the man from afar.

Later in the evening, when Peter was making his way back outside to the party, he came face to face with Tony, the two of them alone in the hallway.

“Hey.” Tony smiled softly, and Peter felt his heart pounding in his chest.

“Hey.” He whispered quietly, smoothing out his wrinkle-free white t-shirt. “I..I uh, better be getting back.”

“Pete, wait. Please. We need to talk.” Tony let Peter walk away for a second before calling after him.

“I don’t know, I have to-” Peter flushed, not wanting to have to go through this right now.

“ _Please_.” Tony asked quietly.

"Okay,” Peter turned back to his father, feeling emboldened by the alcohol. “What do you want to talk about dad? How much I want you? How I think about you all the time? That every day I think I'm falling in love with you and how unfair it is that the one person in the world I want to be with more than anyone else is _you_?" 

“Peter.." Tony took a breath, his eyes focused on the younger man.

"I know, dad.” Peter held a hand up. “You made your point loud and clear when I..."

“Would you listen to me for a minute?" Tony interjected, standing closer to Peter. “I know what I said. And I stand by it, it’s just..since that night in the art gallery,” His hand gently cupped Peter’s face, his thumb gently sweeping across his cheek. “I can’t stop thinking about you, and I think I’m f-.”

“Oh, you managed to find him," Pepper appeared at the top of the stairs, heading towards them. Tony dropped his hand reluctantly, giving Peter a small smile before turning to face his friend. “Pete, Dr. Banner is here, he’ll be heading up your internship and I thought you might like to meet him.”

"Yeah, that sounds great, thanks Aunt Pep." Peter smiled, not looking at Tony as he tried to keep his breathing steady, his heart pounding like a jackhammer.

“Okay, follow me. Coming, Tone?” Pepper smiled, looking between the two of them. 

“I’ll catch up to you in a minute.” Tony smiled, gesturing for them to go on ahead.

Peter looked ahead as he and Pepper walked back outside, Pepper chatting away like everything was fine, and Peter pretended it was.

Even though..Tony, maybe, possibly, felt the same way about him. But there was no way he had been about to say what Peter _thought_ he was going to say..had he? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't get too excited, there's still the small matter of Steve, Natasha, and an author who can't resist sending Peter into emtional turmoil 🤦
> 
> Thank you all for hanging in there, I promise it'll be worth it! As always feel free to leave feedback, and thank you so much to everyone that has, it means the world 🥰


	7. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When one door closes, another one opens. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad, but you still have to face it.
> 
> Fair warning, this chapter is the result of severe PMSing and listening to several 'Heartbreak' playlists on Spotify (FYI, Rihanna features a lot, and she'll split your heart right in half)
> 
> Enjoy!

Peter could barely feel his feet under him as he and Pepper made their way outside. He could barely concentrate on his conversation with Dr. Banner, letting Pepper do most of the talking for him. Once enough time had passed he politely excused himself, going in search of Tony.

When he couldn’t find him upstairs and he didn’t seem to be in the crowd outside, Peter asked Rhodey if he’d seen the man, who inadvertently crushed Peter when he told him Tony had already left. 

The rest of the party passed in a blur, until eventually MJ and Carla decided to head home, Peter joining them. He gave them both a hug goodnight before going into bed, checking his blank phone screen for the fiftieth time before crashing into bed, knowing he wouldn’t sleep.

-

“Okay, I’ll talk to you later, bye babe.” Tony hung up the phone, slipping it into his pocket and heading back into the bar, finding his colleagues table and joining them, slipping off his blazer and hanging it on the back of his chair.

“Natasha?” Carol asked, a smile on her face as she took a sip of wine.

“You’re wasted in teaching, the NYPD could use a detective like you.” Tony smirked, sitting back in his chair.

“Maybe I’m just deep undercover.” The blonde winked as Tony laughed. “How are things going for you two?”

“Really good,” Tony nodded, smiling. “she wanted to come tonight but she got caught at work.” 

“That’s too bad, maybe next time.” Maria smiled apologetically, Tony nodding at the brunette. 

“Definitely. Anyone need a drink? I think we need to celebrate the end of another long year.” Tony grinned, gesturing to the bar.

When nobody wanted anything, Tony headed over to the bar before they could change their minds. It was busy for a Thursday night, and Tony found himself waiting endlessly. 

“Mr. Stark?” 

He looked over to see Steve standing beside him.

“Steve, hey. How many times do I have to tell you to call me Tony?” He smiled, gently nudging the younger man.

“Sorry, force of habit.” Steve smiled, lightly tapping his fingers against the wooden bar.

"Peter with you?" Tony asked, glancing across the bar, not seeing his son.

"No, he and MJ are having a movie night." Steve explained.

“I see.” Tony nodded, trying not to think about how he'd never be able to leave Peter at home and go out if he was his. Properly his. Christ, he was supposed to be over this by now. It had been a week since he’d stupidly almost confessed his feelings for Peter. They hadn’t talked about it since, both dancing around the subject when Tony had called on Wednesday.

“I’m just out with some friends from work,” Steve gestured over to a large group of young people, chatting and laughing. The bartender placed a tray of drinks in front of Steve, who reached into his back pocket.

“Let me,” Tony insisted, taking out his wallet. “I’ll get these,” He gestured to the tray of drinks. “and I’ll take a beer for myself.” 

“Mr. Sta- Tony, you really don’t have to.” Steve insisted as Tony waved a hand.

“Please, least I can do for my son’s boyfriend.” Tony handed over his card to the bartender. It felt strange to call Steve Peter’s boyfriend, but he supposed that’s what he was, they were pretty serious.

  
“Thank you, that’s very generous of you.” Steve smiled.

“Don’t worry about it,” Tony insisted, accepting his card from the bartender, relieved it hadn’t declined. He tucked it back into his wallet, turning to Steve. “Well I'll leave you to it, nice seeing you, Steve." Tony smiled, gently patting Steve's back before picking up his drink.

"Likewise, Tony. Thank you, again." Steve smiled politely, taking the tray of drinks and heading back to his friends.

What the hell was wrong with Tony? 

Steve was the kind of person that every parent wanted their child to date, and Tony was genuinely happy for them but it didn't mean he couldn't..resent Steve just a _little_ bit. 

Steve was the one who got to do all the things Tony couldn't. He knew things Tony could never know, but had so often dreamed about.

He knew what Peter looked like when he was flushed from a passionate kiss, what he sounded like when he was desperate, how he felt when he came undone. 

Tony was a complete hypocrite, and he knew it. 

He may have resented Steve for having Peter, but _he_ had Natasha. 

Despite pining for someone else, he was still willing to be in a relationship. He could've ended things with her sooner, but he thought he'd get over his feelings for Peter _sooner_. 

He should've ended things with her when he realised he didn't love her, and was deeply in love with his own son. 

But he didn't. She was his tether to normality, and he genuinely cared for her. They had a great connection, and Tony knew that in another life he'd hold onto her and never let go. 

Maybe he should. She made him happy, made him laugh, they could talk for hours about anything, and Tony would be throwing away something great if he let her go. 

-

“Sorry we’re late,” Tony smiled apologetically as he gave May a hug, gently sweeping her back. “traffic was crazy.”

“That’s alright,” May smiled, hugging him back before giving Natasha a quick hug. “you’re here now.”

Tony pulled a chair out for Natasha, gently pushing it forward as she sat. He sat down beside her, smoothing out his shirt.

“Are Peter and Steve not here yet?” Natasha asked, gesturing to the empty seats across from them.

“No, Peter called and said he’s sick, poor thing.” May sat down, glancing over to the bar. “He sends their apologies.”

“Nothing serious, I hope?” Natasha asked, and Tony smiled. She’d taken a real shine to Peter, though how anyone couldn’t Tony didn’t know. 

“No, no. Just a little under the weather.” May explained. “Oh,” She smiled as a suited man came over to the table, standing beside her. “Tony, Natasha, this is Happy.”

“Nice to meet you,” The bearded man smiled, Tony and Natasha standing up and shaking his hand and making polite introductions before he sat down.

Throughout dinner, Tony found himself going through the motions. Smiling, laughing, making polite conversation. 

All he could think about was Peter, probably laid up in bed clutching his pillow, he always did that when he was sick. When he was younger he’d crawl into Tony’s bed, his pillows holding the scent of the boy for days afterwards. He found himself longing to have Peter wrapped up in his arms, telling him everything was going to be okay. They’d watch Star Wars on repeat until Peter fell asleep, his body warm against Tony’s.

“Was everything okay for you?” The waitress smiled, gathering up the empty plates.

“Excellent, thank you.” Natasha smiled, May and Happy agreeing as Tony nodded. He’d barely noticed what he was eating, his appetite lost.

“Wonderful. Would you like to see the dessert menu?” The waitress asked, the others looking between each other before nodding.

“Yes, please.” May smiled, the waitress nodding and taking the plates away.

“I just need to freshen up, could you order me anything with strawberry in it?” Natasha smiled, giving Tony a quick peck on the cheek.

“Sure thing.” He smiled, taking a sip of wine as she got up.

“You know what, I might do that myself. Just order me whatever you’re getting.” Happy smiled at May, gently squeezing her arm before getting up. 

“Of course, see you in a minute.” May smiled, watching as he left before turning to Tony.

“So,” She asked. “what do you think?”

“He’s really nice, I like him.” Tony nodded, smiling politely as the waitress returned with the menus, placing them down on the table.

“Really?” May let out a breath, a huge smile on her face. “I’m so glad.”

In truth, Tony did like Happy, but he’d been so in his own head during dinner that he’d barely paid attention.

“How are things going with you and Nat?” May asked, taking a sip of wine and looking over the menu.

“Things are..” Tony found himself hesitating and knew exactly why. Things were going great with her, but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t using her just a little bit as a shield from his feelings towards Peter. “well, they’re good it’s just..” 

“Just what?” May asked, looking up from her menu, her eyes full of concern. 

“I don’t know, I like Nat a lot but..I don’t know how serious I am about her.” Tony shrugged, wishing he hadn’t said anything.

Thankfully, the waitress returned and he gave a quick look over the menu as May ordered, choosing Natasha’s dessert and declining anything for himself.

Before May could question him, Happy and Natasha returned, ending the conversation much to Tony’s relief. It was his problem to deal with, and he would.

They finished dessert and Tony was sure he could feel May looking at him the entire time, guilt flooding him.

May suggested going on to a bar, and Tony knew it was just so she’d have a chance to ask him more about Natasha.

“We’ll get these, right Tony?” His hunch was right, May smiling at him when they entered the bar.

“Of course, what can I get everyone?” Tony forced himself to smile, listening to Nat and Happy’s orders before they went to get a table.

“Alright, what’s going on with you and Nat? Because she seems perfectly happy and you look completely miserable.” May sighed, turning to look at her brother as they approached the bar.

“I just..” Tony ran a hand over his face. There was no way he could tell his sister the truth. “I’ve just felt a little..weird about our relationship lately. I don’t know why.”

“Ask yourself this,” May gently rubbed his back. “do you see a future with her?”

“Yeah,” He nodded. It was partly true, he wasn’t totally unhappy with her and he felt that if he really committed himself to her then maybe..maybe he’d get over his feelings for Peter. “she’s incredible, and I know how lucky I am to be with her. I’m just being stupid.”

“You’re not,” May smiled. “not at all. Just give it some time, think about what you want.”

He did know what he wanted, what he wanted more than anything else in the world. And he couldn’t have it, no matter how much he might want it. So he’d just have to move on.

-

"Hey, you made it." Tony smiled as he opened the door, Peter standing in front of him smiling. Tony had thought long and hard about what he needed to do, and when Natasha had to go out of town for a few days he decided to invite Peter over, get everything out in the open.

"Well I got a little lost, had to use maps." Peter joked, and Tony felt himself relax, gesturing for his son to come into the apartment, his home for eighteen years, the place Tony always felt he should be.

“Come on, dinner's almost ready.” Tony led Peter into the kitchen, grabbing a dishcloth from the counter and opening the oven.

"You _cooked_?" Peter asked, voice full of surprise.

"Don't sound so shocked." Tony rolled his eyes slightly, a smile on his face.

"What are we having?" Peter asked, leaning against the counter as Tony closed the oven.

"Lasagne, my signature dish of course." Tony smiled.

" _Of course_." Peter grinned.

-

The evening went pretty smoothly, they ate, they laughed, they avoided the huge, trunk-nosed mammal in the room.

Tony knew he was doing the right thing, it would save them both a lot of heartbreak and grief in the long run. He knew it would hurt, for a while, and things would take time to get back to normal but they would, eventually.

So he convinced himself.

If Peter would just stop being so.. _Peter_ , he'd be fine.

This perfect, wonderful, beautiful, ethereal creature that Tony had helped bring into the world, his greatest accomplishment.

They were bonded together inextricably, always would be. Above all else Peter was the most important person in Tony's life, and he wasn't going to be the reason Peter's life was ruined. The younger man had his whole life ahead of him, a bright career on the horizon, the perfect boyfriend, wonderful friends

Peter had a silly crush, he wasn't in love with Tony.

Tony, on the other hand, was head over heels for the boy, that night awakening something deep inside him. But he was old enough to know better, to be the responsible one.

"Dad?" 

"Yeah, Pete?" Tony looked at where Peter stood beside the couch, a smile on his face. 

"I was asking if you want another drink?" Peter laughed, the noise like the sweetest music Tony ever heard. 

"Sure, I'll come with you." Tony nodded, picking up his glass and following his son into the kitchen. 

Peter floated about getting the drinks, chatting away. 

Tony knew he'd have to tell him soon, but he just wanted to enjoy the moment a little while longer. 

Peter noticed him looking, and smiled over at him, keeping his eyes held on the older man.

Tony couldn't look away, trying to convince himself that this was the time. 

But he stood still, his mouth stuck in a small smile as Peter walked over, placing the drinks on the counter beside his father. 

This was it, just tell him. Quick and painful. 

"Peter," He started, looking into the eyes he'd looked into a million times, still so beautiful and enticing. 

"I know." Peter smiled softly and Tony felt relieved. He should've known Peter could handle it, he'd always had a mature head on young shoulders. 

"We—" 

Tony was cut off when Peter cupped his face, leaning in and planting the softest kiss Tony had ever felt in his life against his lips. 

All his resolve faded temporarily as he kissed back softly, his hands touching Peter's hips so lightly he wondered if he'd made the move at all. 

Peter hummed softly, and Tony gripped the boy tighter, lost in the sensation. 

The kiss was soft, gentle. Perfectly Peter in every way. Tony's entire body responded, every part of him lighting up as Peter gently ran his fingers along Tony's face. 

Before he could let himself fall too deep, Tony knew what he had to do, dread filling him. 

"Peter," He gently took the boys hands, moving them from his face down to his chest, gently squeezing them. "we can't do this."

"Why?" Peter murmured, his beautiful eyes looking up Tony, so full of love it broke Tony's heart.

"You _know_ why, sweetheart." Tony sighed, gently letting go of the younger man's hands.

"Daddy.. _please_." Peter whispered, leaning in close, his lips ghosting against Tony's.

"I'm sorry." Tony pulled back, his heart falling out of his chest and smashing on the ground. "You should go."

It took every fibre of Tony's being not to reach out when Peter's eyes watered, tears spilling down his beautiful face.

"Fine. If that's what you want." Peter stood for a moment, challenging the older man to take it back.

Tony looked away, unable to watch as Peter left, the door closing with a soft click.

Later that night, Tony had barely moved from the couch, the TV blaring just so he didn't have to listen to his own thoughts.

He barely heard Natasha come in.

Natasha. The only woman he'd really cared for since Peter's mother. She was everything he could ever want.

What he _should_ want.

"Hey," He smiled softly, turning down the TV and getting up, pulling her in for a kiss. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," She grinned, wrapping her arms around his neck. "why don't we..make up for lost time."

"Absolutely." He murmured, gently sweeping his hand across her hip and kissing her again, blocking out everything else.

-

"Hey, come in." Peter smiled, holding the door open for Steve. With everything that had gone on lately, Steve felt like a lifeboat while Peter was adrift.

"Hey," Steve cleared his throat, not meeting Peter's eye. "listen, could we maybe skip dinner? I need to talk to you about something."

"Oh," Peter wasn't sure how to feel, a strange mix of good and bad nerves flooding his body. "of course, nobody's home, let's sit down."

He closed the door behind Steve before leading them into the living room, sitting down on the couch. Steve hesitated for a moment before sitting beside him, a small gap between them.

"Peter.." Steve started, taking a breath and rubbing his hand over his face. "I like you a lot, I really do. You're beautiful and smart and you make me so happy, but.."

Peter kept his eyes on Steve, his breath caught in his throat. 

"I..I don't even know how to say this," Steve looked up, his leg shaking slightly.

"It's okay," Peter gently touched Steve's leg, feeling like he knew exactly what was coming. "just tell me."

"Okay," Steve nodded, gently taking Peter's hand. "do you remember the night you were sick and MJ, Carla and I went to the gig?"

Maybe he didn't know _exactly_ where it was going.

"Yeah?" Peter frowned.

"Well..that night I ran into Bucky. He's the..friend I was telling you about, from college."

_Oh_.

Peter gestured for Steve to go on, feeling huge guilt for the slight relief that rose in him.

"We got talking, and..it was nice." Steve's guilty expression made Peter think it had been more than just nice. "He asked if we could meet up again, and I said yes before I could stop myself. We went out for a drink and it was great, it just..flowed. We've..met up a couple of times since then and.."

"Have you done anything?" Peter asked softly. He couldn't judge if they had. Steve seeing an old flame was better than Peter kissing his own father and then declaring his love for said man, only to be..completely shot down.

"No," Steve insisted, and Peter knew he was telling the truth. "but he..he told me that he realised that he has feelings for me, and he wasn't going to tell me because I'm with you but he thought I should know. He said he regrets us not being together all this time and..I feel the same way. I'm so sorry, Peter."

"Steve, you have nothing to be sorry for." Peter smiled softly, guilt eating at him.

"I never meant for this to happen, but seeing him again all those old feelings came rushing back and I just think that he's.." Steve sighed, shaking his head. "he's the love of my life, and I hate that this has to happen because you're so wonderful and I care for you so much, but I know you'll meet someone who is perfect for you, and you'll be the love of their life."

"Thank you, Steve." Peter couldn't meet the older man's eye. "You're too kind for your own good. I'm happy for you, honestly. Everyone should be with someone they love and who loves them, I don't want to stand in the way of that."

"I honestly didn't mean for this to happen," Steve squeezed Peter's hand. "but thank you for being so understanding. I hope it's not too clichéd to say I hope we can still be friends?"

"Of course we can," Peter smiled. "I'd like that."

-

Later that night, Peter lay in bed curled up with a pillow in his arms, his mind racing.

He thought about Steve, going all those years without someone who he loved so much, not knowing that they were out there feeling the same way.

He thought about what Tony had said, and how hurt he'd been. But he was sure Tony was just trying to protect himself, his eyes had been so full of love despite his words. 

Why should he and Tony be the same? Should they just ignore their true feelings until it was too late? If two people are meant to be together then nothing should stop them, Peter decided.

He knew he stood to get hurt, Tony might stand by his words, but he didn't care anymore. He had to try.

-

Tony and Natasha walked arm in arm into Pepper and Rhodey’s place, American flag bunting strung about the house that Tony just knew was Rhodey’s work.

"I'm just gonna make a quick call, back in a minute." Natasha smiled, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before heading upstairs. 

He looked back at her, a smile on his face. This was good, it was right. 

He headed outside, the garden full of people, music playing over them. He greeted Pepper and Rhodey before joining May and Happy at their table.

“Hey you two, Happy Fourth.” Tony smiled.

“Is it the fourth? I couldn’t tell.” May raised an eyebrow, gesturing to the starry tablecloth. 

“You always were a little slow on the uptake.” Tony teased, May swatting his arm as he and Happy laughed.

“I’m gonna get some food, what can I get you two?” Happy stood up, nodding over to the grill.

“Hot Dog, please.” May smiled, Tony nodding along.

“Same for me, thanks man.”

“Alright, I’ll be back in a minute.” Happy smiled, gently touching May’s shoulder before heading away.

“Is Pete here?” Tony asked. He hadn’t seen or talked to him since that night in his apartment (Which had been for the best, he reminded himself).

“He might not show up, considering..you now.” May shrugged, and Tony’s heart shot into his mouth. She couldn’t..possibly, _know_?

“Considering what?” Tony asked, bracing himself.

"Didn't you hear?" May raised an eyebrow, glancing over at Happy before looking back at her brother. "Steve and Peter broke up."

"They..they broke up?" Tony repeated.

"Yeah," May nodeed. "Pete wouldn't say why. It's a shame isn't it? They were really sweet together."

"Yeah," Tony nodded, his heart pounding. "it's a shame."

-

Peter had been so nervous/excited for the party. He had a plan, he was prepared, and he didn't care about anything else. He was sure Tony hadn't meant what he'd said. They were in love, Peter could feel it. He wasn't going to let anything stop him.

He just had to get Tony alone, get the chance to really talk to him and explain everything. He'd regret it forever if not, and he was practically skipping when he, MJ and Carla walked through the house and into the garden.

He spotted Tony, sitting at one of the tables with May and Happy, chatting about something. This was it, he'd just go over, ask if he could talk to him in private and then..

Then Natasha walked out into the garden, giving him a wave and a smile as she passed him, going over and sitting down in the empty seat beside Tony. She kissed him and he draped his arm across the back of her chair, smiling at her.

"Why don't you grab us a table Pete? We'll get the food." Carla's voice dragged him from his crumbling thoughts.

"Yeah," He nodded, looking away from Tony before his heart completely gave up. "will do."

Maybe Tony had been serious about what he'd said. Why shouldn't he have been? Natasha was perfect for him, and even if he did love Peter, it was..it couldn't work. Natasha was the better choice, and Peter was sure that he'd (eventually) meet someone who was perfect for _him_.

_Like Steve, perhaps? A perfect man that you let go because of a stupid crush you let get out of hand?_

He'd get over it, in time. He had no choice but to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you are still willing to read this, thank you so much 🤦
> 
> This chapter was very much fuelled by emotion so apologies if I went a little overboard but if I'm taking the slow burn route then my god, it's gonna be slow 🚢
> 
> Thank you for all your feedback, it's wonderful to know that even though this story is probably dragging on a bit, you're still so lovely 🥰


	8. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter is determined that nothing can stop him, he's got nothing left to lose. Tony may just have other plans..

Peter _wasn't_ getting over it.

He tried, but every time he thought about being with anyone else the only face in his mind was Tony's.

Peter knew he had to go all out, prove to Tony that he was serious. He wanted more than just a casual thing, sneaking around. He wanted that night in the art gallery, but real. Peter and Tony, just two people in love. He'd go anywhere, do anything, do whatever it would take to be with the love of his life.

Tony had called on Wednesday as per usual, and Peter kept things calm, chatting about work and his friends, general news. Then, just to see if he could get a reaction, he'd called Tony ' _daddy_ ' when they were saying goodbye and he could hear Tony's breath hitch, the older man taking a moment before responding, his tone slightly dark in a delicious way.

May had resumed hosting Saturday night dinners, and on Friday night Peter knew he needed a plan.

He, MJ and Carla were having a night in (since the breakup with Steve, the girls had made a huge effort to spend time with Peter, and though he wasn't exactly devasted about the breakup he was still grateful for their time), and when MJ went to have a shower Peter took the opportunity to start planning.

"Carla?" He asked, looking over at the blonde on the couch.

"Yeah, Pete?" She smiled, looking over at him.

"Could I get your advice on something?" Peter asked, shifting slightly in the armchair until his legs were tucked under him.

"Of course you can. What's up?" Carla sat up, lowering the volume on the TV.

"Do you think it's too soon for me to..be with someone else?" Peter glanced over at the TV, feeling slightly embarrassed. But this had to be done and he trusted Carla's opinion. He loved MJ, but she wasn't exactly tactful about things like this.

"Be with..no, it's not too soon" Carla smiled, shaking her head. "if you feel ready to move on from Steve then go for it."

"That's the thing," Peter sighed, fidgeting with his hands. "I know who I want to be with, it's..a friend of mine."

"Do they know?" Carla asked.

"Yeah, he knows. I told him how I feel, how much I like him and everything, and he likes me too but..he's afraid of taking it to the next level." Peter knew it was true, deep down. He knew how Tony looked at him.

"And you think it could work? It won't ruin your friendship?" Carla leaned forward on the armrest, resting her head on her chin. "you need to be really sure about these things, maybe that's why he's hesitant. He doesn't want to risk your friendship being over."

"I know we'd be perfect together, we've been friends for..well, forever and I never really saw him in this way before but lately these feelings have developed and I know he feels the same. I think if I could just.." Peter cleared his throat, his cheeks feeling warm." convince him."

"Oh..are we talking.. _seduction?"_ Carla raised an eyebrow suggestively.

"Maybe." Peter had never been able to seduce anyone, no matter how much he wanted to. He was always the one falling, and Tony well and truly had Peter under his spell.

"Say no more, I got you covered," Carla smiled, and Peter relaxed, though his cheeks remained crimson. "now I'm not saying _I've_ ever tried any of these and I'm not saying they worked on a certain _someone_ but I can guarantee you'll be practically impossible to resist."

-

So, armed with Carla's advice, Peter made his way to May's apartment, mentally preparing himself with every step. He figured Natasha would be there, and as much as he liked her, he couldn't help but view her as the enemy, standing in the way of true love (Maybe he was being a tad dramatic, but he refused to care).

"Pete, just in time. Come in, come in."

"Nice to see you too, May." Peter raised an eyebrow as his aunt ushered him inside the apartment, gesturing for him to follow her into the kitchen.

He gave a quick wave over to Happy, Natasha and Tony, who were sitting in the living room talking, holding Tony’s eye for a moment, the older man turning away first, clearing his throat and looking back at Natasha.

“Could you lay the table for me please?” May smiled, going over to the fridge.

“Sure.” Peter nodded, moving about the kitchen in sync with his aunt. 

Natasha came in to offer a hand, and Peter excused himself to use the bathroom, making sure to give Tony another lingering glance as he went by.

At the table, Peter was sitting across from May, Tony on her right. The older man was quiet throughout the meal, and Peter could feel his father’s eyes on his body while he ate. He knew he needed to take it up a notch, and when May served dessert, he took the chance. He took his time eating the tiramisu, making small, contented noises and keeping his fork in his mouth, savouring it. If not for the copious amount of wine he’d been drinking all evening he didn’t think he’d have the courage to do it, but when he knew Tony was looking at him, Peter purposely and slowly licked his lips, keeping his eyes on his plate. 

“Could you excuse me?” Tony stood up, dropping his napkin onto his plate and heading out of the room. **** Peter took a long drink. Would they notice if he slipped away for a second? He thought about it for a moment, he could pretend he was going to the other room to make a call. Then he could go and get Tony alone and..before he could do anything about it, Tony came back, slipping into his seat and avoiding Peter’s eye. He seemed..warm, almost unsettled, and the younger man felt proud. He knew it was just a matter of time.

When everyone had settled in the living room, chatting and laughing and drinking, Peter slipped away to the kitchen, feeling Tony’s eyes on him as he went. Standing at the counter and pouring a drink, Peter took a breath when he heard footsteps enter the kitchen. The voices in the living room were drowned out by the TV, and he stayed where he was, not turning around.

A moment later, a figure was standing behind him, close enough that they were just barely touching.

“I know exactly what you’re doing.”

“I don't know what you’re talking about,” Peter sighed softly, turning around and looking up into his father’s eyes. “ _daddy_.”

“ _Pete_.” Tony almost sounded pleading, his eyes looking down.

“If you’re.. _bothered_ by anything I’ve done then that’s on you,” Peter kept his eyes on Tony’s face, his heart pounding. “I mean, you’re not interested in me, right?”

“Don’t do this. Not _here_.” Tony whispered, his eyes meeting Peter’s. His hands ghosted at Peter’s hips before moving back.

“Should I do it somewhere else?” Peter asked, eyes falling to Tony’s lips, hands resting on Tony’s chest for a moment, fingers gently clutching his shirt before falling back by his side.

“You’re killing me, sweetheart.” Tony murmured, shaking his head.

Peter took a breath, turning back around and picking up his glass. He felt Tony move away and go back to the living room, back to _her_.

It didn’t matter, Tony was _his_.

-

“Shit,” Peter muttered as the bathroom light switched off. He found the towel, drying his hands before heading to the bedroom. The light was off in there two, and once he turned on the torch on his phone and checked the living room and kitchen, he sighed, accepting that the power was out. He heard grumblings from next door, and wondered if the whole building had gone dark. It was only six thirty, but he figured it would be the morning before the problem was resolved. MJ and Carla were away for the weekend, and he didn’t feel like spending Friday night alone in a dark apartment. He needed somewhere to go, and his only options were May or Tony. 

He called May first, unsure of how his dad would react to Peter asking to stay the night. Maybe Natasha was there. 

As it turned out, May was also away for the weekend, and Peter was starting to suspect some romantic inn upstate had a special offer at the moment. He called Tony, his heartbeat pounding in his ears.

“Hey Pete, everything okay?”

“Hey, everything’s fine,” Peter leaned against the counter in the kitchen, the dark apartment feeling cold and lonely. it’s just that the power went out in my apartment and MJ’s away for the weekend and so is May, I didn’t have anyone else to call. Could I stay with you tonight? I’ll leave first thing in the morning.”

“You don’t need to ask, Pete. You might not think of it as such anymore but this place is always gonna be your home. You’re welcome anytime. Come on over.” Tony insisted, and Peter found himself smiling in the dark.

“Hi Peter,” Natasha smiled as she opened the door of Tony’s apartment. “come in.”

“Hey, Natasha. Nice to see you.” Peter forced himself to smile, stepping into the apartment, shrugging his simple blue backpack onto his shoulder. He’d grabbed some clean clothes, his toothbrush and phone charger as quick as he could and practically ran over to his dad’s place. He felt like a lost child, desperately running to his father. Like he used to.

“Tony told me about your apartment, is it the whole building?” Natasha asked as she walked into the living room, sitting down on the couch. Stranger Things was paused on the TV, and Peter couldn’t help but smile. 

“Yeah, seems to be.” Peter nodded, setting his bag down and perching on the big grey armchair he used to curl up on, legs dangling over the armrest. “it should be fixed by the morning, sorry to intrude on your evening like this.” He smiled apologetically, glancing at the wine and half-empty plates on the table.

“Not at all,” Natasha waved a hand, settling back on the couch. “it’s always great to see you.”

Why did she have to be so _nice_ to him?

“Where’s..where’s dad?” Peter asked, trying to keep his voice casual. 

“He just jumped into the shower, he’ll be out in a minute. Are you hungry? We’ve got loads of leftovers.” Natasha smiled, leaning forward and picking up one of the plates. 

“No thanks, I already ate.” That was a blatant lie. He was just being petty, a pathetic little brat.

“Are you sure? Well help yourself if you want anything.” Natasha insisted, grabbing the remote and pressing play. “Do you like this? Tony’s obsessed with it. I can’t really get into myself.” 

“I love it,” Peter nodded, sitting back in the chair. “it definitely takes some time to get used to but it’s worth the wait.”

After a while, Tony joined them, decked out in simple sweatpants and a plain black t-shirt. Peter thought he looked great, he loved when his dad dressed casual. It usually meant them spending the day together, curled up watching TV or playing video games, just the two of them.

“Have you eaten anything, Pete? We got a ton of leftovers in the fridge.” Tony smiled softly, sitting down on the couch, Natasha cuddling up to him, her eyes on the TV.

“Natasha already offered, but I ate already. Thanks, dad.” He smiled. He was starving, but felt like he couldn’t accept now or else Natasha would know he was lying earlier. “I might actually take a shower, if that’s okay?” 

“You don’t need to ask, go ahead.” Tony smiled, gently stroking Natasha’s hair and Peter got up, grabbing his bag and heading out of the room, not sure he could take it anymore.

He had a long shower, jealousy flooding him as he thought of Natasha in his place. Peter should be the one cuddled up to Tony, the one who gets to be his, who gets to be with him all the time.

He took his time drying off, rooting through his bag for some pyjamas, cursing under his breath when he realised he didn’t bring any. He improvised, putting on the spare boxers and t-shirt he brought, heading back out to the living room.

He smiled as he saw Tony’s gaze follow him as he sat in the armchair, dangling his legs over the armrest. He rested his head on his arm, keeping his focus on the TV. He lazily dragged his foot up his other leg, resting his free hand on his stomach, his fingers dragging lazily at the hem. He glanced over to his father, who held his gaze for a moment, Peter smiling softly and lowering his gaze before looking back to the TV.

Later still, Peter decided to go to bed, slowly getting up from the couch, and stretching his arms above his head, the hem of his t-shirt rising slightly and exposing his flat, slightly toned midriff. 

“I’m exhausted, I’m gonna get some sleep,” He let his arms fall down by his side, slowly pulling his t-shirt back down. “Night Natasha,” He smiled, going to walk into his old bedroom. “Night, daddy.”

“Night, Peter. See you in the morning.” Natasha smiled, not batting an eyelid.

“Goodnight.” Tony nodded, holding Peter’s gaze before Peter turned away, slowly walking out of the room.

-

“Tony? Are you still there?” 

“Yeah, I’m listening, sorry.” Tony rubbed a hand over his face, pushing off the counter and walking over to the couch, phone pressed to his ear as Natasha talked.

“Mm. Tonight sounds good. Why don’t you come by my place? I don’t really feel like going out. Alright, see you then.” He clicked off the call and flopped down on the couch, taking a breath.

He twisted his phone in his hand, fingers tapping against the dark screen. He sat for a moment, his mind racing.

Finally, he took the phone, breath caught in his throat as he brought up the number he needed.

“Hey, can you talk? I really need your help.”

-

Two days later, Tony was spending his Friday evening pacing back and forth in the kitchen. The TV was playing in the living room, only serving to try and distract him.

The knock on the door came, and he headed over, opening it and smiling when he saw Peter standing there.

“Come on in.” He moved aside, letting Peter in before closing the door behind him.

“Is everything okay? You sounded..I don’t know, different on the phone.” Peter asked, shrugging off his light jacket and hanging it up.

“I just needed to see you, talk to you in person. Let’s sit down.” Tony gestured towards the couch, watching as Peter trepdatiously headed over, sitting down and looking over at the older man.

“Okay,” Tony started, walking over and sitting down. “I thought you should be the first to know.”

Peter’s eyes filled with dread, and Tony looked away. “I..I broke things off with Natasha.”

“Really?” Peter’s tone was so hopeful Tony couldn’t help but look at the boy, who looked genuinely shocked.

“Really.” Tony nodded. “She’s an incredible woman and I didn’t feel right being with her when i wasn’t..totally committed to her. She deserved better.”

“Nobody could be better than you.” Peter smiled softly, a sweet blush colouring his beautiful face.

“You’re sweet to say so, Pete.” Tony gently rubbed the younger man’s back, smiling when Peter let out a quiet, content hum.

“How did she take it?” Peter asked, his eyes falling to his lap.

“Pretty good, actually.” Tony smiled, Peter nodding gently. In truth, it hadn’t been gone as smoothly as Tony hoped. He should’ve known, really. She accused him of stringing her along, of wasting her time and even asked if he’d been having an affair. 

He couldn’t blame her, and as much as it hurt him to end things, he knew he had to. Even if things with Peter were incredibly complicated, he knew he’d never be able to give Natasha everything she deserved.

“That’s good.” Peter fidgeted slightly, and Tony glanced over at the TV, rubbing a hand over his face.

“Tell you what,” He turned to Peter, a small smile on his face. “how about we order some takeout and have a drink? Just..relax for a while.” 

“Sounds great,” Peter looked relieved, visibly relaxing. “Thanks.”

And a couple of hours later, happy full and laying out on the couch with Peter snuggled into his side, Tony felt he’d done the right thing.

Peter shifted slightly, turning his gaze to his father.

“Everything okay?” Tony asked, gently running his fingers through Peter’s curls.

“Perfect.” Peter murmured softly, a smile forming on his face before he leaned forward, closing the distance between them.

It was heavenly, as it had been the last time. It was like they were _made_ for this, Tony thought, there was just one problem.

"This isn't..we shouldn't do this.." He sighed, sitting up and leaning on his knees.

"Please don't say that." Peter whispered, his voice trembling.

"We shouldn't do this _yet_." Tony turned to the younger man, gently touching his knee.

"What do you mean?" Peter frowned, and Tony couldn't help but find it adorable.

"I mean," Tony sat back, gently stroking Peter's leg. "I want you to be absolutely sure this is what you want. So, with that in mind, I thought I'd take you out on a date, a real one. So we can see how it feels."

"Oh," Peter nodded slowly, a beaming smile flowing onto his face. "yes, I'd love to go on a date."

"Then we'll know more about where we stand." Tony knew his feelings wouldn't change, and he just wanted to be sure Peter was comfortable with the whole thing.

"So until then, can we..still, you know." Peter flushed slightly, and Tony adored how innocent his boy was deep down.

"We can take it slow, there's no rush baby." Tony smiled softly, reaching up and stroking Peter's soft curls. "For now, would you object to going to bed and watching a movie on the laptop?"

"That sounds perfect, daddy." Peter smiled, giving him a gentle kiss before getting up, Tony watching him with his heart overflowing.

-

They lay in bed, Peter's warm body pressed up against Tony's. Tony's arm was tucked under Peter's head, the younger man's smaller digits intertwining with his father's, his eyes focused on the laptop in front of him.

Tony wasn't that interested in what was playing on the laptop (He didn't catch the title but it was definitely some kind of musical), preferring to trace little designs over Peter's back. He'd asked to borrow one of his father's old college t-shirts, and when he'd put it on, a slip of light blue visible beneath the black shirt that hung loosely, Tony wished Peter would only ever wear that.

Occasionally Peter would turn back, smiling at Tony and giving him a quick kiss, sometimes a lingering one, Tony's hand snaking up Peter's waist until he made the most beautiful sounds the older man would never tire of.

Every time Peter laughed, arched his back slightly against him, turned to him with a beaming smile and those beautiful doe eyes, Tony knew he was doing the right thing.

This was where he belonged, where _they_ belonged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhh things can only burn so slowly, can't they? 🤦
> 
> I figured Peter (and all of you) can only take so much 👀
> 
> So stay tuned for the (real) date, at long last! 🎉
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone who has read and reviewed this fic, I absolutely love hearing what you thought, and appreciate your support so much ❤️❤️


	9. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter has a new home..Cloud Nine.

“What’re you all dressed up for?”

“He’s going on a date.”

_“MJ!”_

“What? You are. Aren’t you?” The brunette frowned, sitting down on the couch beside her smiling girlfriend.

“I’m just meeting a friend.” Peter insisted, looking down at his outfit. Jeans and a short sleeved white shirt hadn’t seemed too fancy when he’d chosen it earlier, and now he was worried. 

“You look great, Pete.” Carla gave him a knowing look, a smile on her face. “Have fun with your _friend_.”

-

Peter had no idea what Tony had planned for their date, all he knew was that it was during the day, because they were going to May’s tonight as usual. Peter had thought that they might skip it, but Tony insisted they should go, and suggested that Peter just stay at his place afterwards. 

And so, on a warm, sunny Saturday afternoon Peter made his way to where his father had instructed him to go in a simple text, a beaming smile on his face as he went. He’d had his usual call with Ned a little earlier than usual, and was secretly (very obviously, Ned specifically pointed it out) thrilled when his best friend told him it was good to see Peter smiling genuinely and being so happy. 

Walking through the museum, Peter felt a tingle shoot down his spine as he made his way towards the exhibit, the smile stuck on his face by now. There were a couple of people walking around, but no sign of Tony, not yet.

Peter pretended to read some of the information displayed, his excited nerves preventing him from doing so properly. After a moment he glanced over and smiled as he saw his father standing nearby, looking at the models in front of them. He was wearing the same outfit he’d worn that night at the art gallery, though it looked so much better this time.

Looking back down at the information stand, Peter felt a warm gaze fall on him and tried to calm himself, his entire body feeling like it was about to liquify and spill all over the floor.

“Excuse me?” 

He looked over and found Tony standing beside him, a small smile on his face and his eyes full of love.

“Yes?” Peter held his gaze, giving his best innocent smile.

“I’m sorry to bother you,” Tony raised an eyebrow, glancing around. “but I couldn’t help noticing you, and I just wanted to come over and say hi.” 

“Well, hi. I’m Peter,” Peter grinned, holding out his hand to the older man.

“Tony. Nice to meet you.” Tony smirked, gently gripping the younger man’s hand.

“So are you interested in the whole..space thing?” Peter asked, gesturing to the display.

“Yeah, I’m a physics teacher so I tend to geek out a little at this stuff.” Tony laughed softly, and Peter loved that they were in their own world, nobody around them knowing anything about it.

“That’s awesome,” Peter smiled, looking back down at the information board in front of him, feeling Tony’s eyes on him. “I can’t get my head around a lot of this stuff. If you’re not busy maybe..” He looked back up at his father, biting his lip softly. “maybe you could teach me a thing or two?”

“I’d love to.” Tony gave him a lingering look, a smile on his face.

They explored the museum slowly, their hands occasionally brushing against each other. Occasionally Tony would squeeze Peter’s hand, or the younger man would sneak a kiss, trying not to get carried away. 

Despite both of them having seen every exhibit several times before, this time felt like the first time Peter really appreciated them. Nobody looked twice at them, and Peter felt like they were just a regular couple, spending a Saturday afternoon together. He hoped Tony felt the same way, beaming as Tony draped his arm across his shoulders while they walked. 

“So,” Tony smiled as they left the museum, checking his phone. “is it too soon to ask you if you want to get an ice cream and walk around the park?”

“I don’t think so,” Peter grinned, linking his arm with Tony’s as they walked down the steps. “as long as you’re paying.”

Peter decided to get changed before going over to May’s, so after a lingering (temporary) goodbye kiss, he headed back to his apartment, pretty sure his feet never touched the ground as he went.

“Hey, how was the date?” MJ asked as Peter closed the door behind him, slipping off his denim jacket and hanging it up.

“It was very nice,” Peter smiled, following her into the kitchen. “if you must know.”

“I must.” She went back to stirring pasta as Peter grabbed a soda from the fridge.

“Why are you back so soon?” The brunette asked, glancing over to Peter as he hopped up on the counter opposite her.

“I have dinner at May’s tonight.” Peter shrugged, opening his soda and taking a drink.

“I see, so mystery date isn’t as good company as May and your dad?” MJ raised an eyebrow, looking back to her dinner.

“He has plans for tonight, that’s all. I’ll see him again soon.” Peter smiled to himself, feeling like he was privy to a secret the rest of the world would neer know about.

“I’m glad you’re happy,” MJ kept her back to Peter, her hand tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “it feels like you’re.. _back,_ almost. It’s good.” 

“Thanks, MJ.” Peter smiled, hopping off the counter and walking over to her, giving her arm a gentle squeeze before heading off to get ready, his whole body glowing.

“Pete,” Tony smiled as he opened the door to May’s apartment, wincing slightly as a loud clang sounded behind him followed by shouting. “come in. May’s just adding the finishing touches to dinner.”

“I see.” Peter raised an eyebrow as a flustered May flew out of the kitchen, wordlessly beckoning Tony and waving to Peter before disappearing back into the kitchen. 

“Back in a minute.” Tony gave Peter a quick kiss on the cheek before heading into the kitchen, and Peter was sure his entire body was on fire. Their date had been so perfect, so comfortable and familiar. They talked and laughed and messed around like they always did, but he knew he was staying at Tony’s tonight, for the first time since they decided to take things further. 

He was..nervous, in the best possible way. He wanted to be with Tony in every way he could, and left his apartment feeling totally prepared, confident and secure. Now that he was here, it was really real, he felt a little less so, but knew he’d be fine once it was just the two of them alone.

“Hey, Pete. How’s it going?” Happy smiled at him as he entered the living room, sitting down on the couch.

“Hey, Happy. I’m good, yeah, good.” Peter cursed himself for sounding so forced. He needed to calm down, there was still a whole evening ahead of him. “How about you?”

“Good,” Happy raised an eyebrow, smiling as he sat down on the armchair, clearing his throat. “you want a drink?”

“Please.” Peter nodded, full of gratitude as the other man got up, heading towards the kitchen. 

Several drinks in quick succession later, Peter was feeling much more relaxed. He sat beside Tony, smiling when the older man would gently squeeze his hand under the table, or rest his hand on Peter’s knee.

“Any ideas what you want to do for your birthday, Pete? It’s not that long away.” May asked, taking a drink of wine.

“I haven’t really thought about it,” Peter shrugged, shivering slightly when Tony gently trailed his hand up to Peter’s thigh. “it’s on a Monday so I might just go out with some friends over the weekend or something.”

“Let us know if there’s anything particular you want.” May smiled, and all Peter could think was that he already had everything he could ever want, now that he had Tony.

“You don’t need to get me anything, honestly.” Peter smiled, taking a drink.

“Hey, if we can’t treat you to something nice on your birthday then when can we?” Tony gently squeezed Peter’s thigh, smiling as Peter flushed pink, quickly swallowing his wine.

By the time they were all sitting down in the living room watching a movie, Peter was no longer nervous, but he was incredibly drunk. He curled in the armchair, legs dangling over the armrest. Tony was sitting on the side of the couch that was closest to him, Happy and May cuddled up on the other end. He glanced over to his father and smiled as he found Tony concentrating on the film, a serious expression on his face. After a moment Tony noticed him looking, and they spent a while smiling at each other before May got up to top up their drinks.

When Tony decided to call it a night, Peter had to hold onto him for support, a welcome necessity. They said their goodbyes before walking down the stairs to Tony’s apartment, the older man laughing softly as Peter groaned, his head spinning.

“We’re here now, sweetheart. Let’s get you a glass of water and into bed.” Tony smiled, opening the door and leading Peter inside.

“But _daddy_ ,” Peter whined, snuggling into Tony’s side. “tonight was supposed to be..you know.” 

“It wasn’t supposed to be anything, Pete. We have all the time in the world.” Tony gently rubbed the younger man’s back, guiding him into the kitchen and sitting him down at the table before fetching him a glass of water.

“But we..I wanted to..” Peter sighed, struggling to get the words out as he took a long drink of water, his head swirling.

“I know, baby, but it’s okay,” Tony crouched down by Peter, gently rubbing his leg and looking at him with kind, loving eyes. “I’m nervous too, it’s a..well it’s a huge step, I won’t lie. But when we feel ready we’ll know. I love you, and we’re together. That’s all that matters.” 

“I love you too.” Peter murmured softly, a smile forming on his face, feeling like he wanted to cry and laugh and scream with joy from the rooftop.

“Let’s get some sleep, it’s been a long day.” Tony smiled, standing up and reaching for Peter’s hand.

“A wonderful day. Best day of my life.” Peter sighed happily, picking up his glass of water and letting Tony lead him into the bedroom.

When he was fully ensconced between the sheets, the alluring scent of Tony all around him, Peter watched as his father undressed, the only light in the room coming from the lamp on the nightstand.

“I didn’t do anything with Steve.” He didn’t know why he said it, it just felt right. 

“Hm?” Tony turned back to him, hanging up his shirt before putting it back in the wardrobe, a curious expression on his face.

“I..when I was with Steve, we never..went all the way.” Peter felt himself cringe at how juvenile he sounded, wrapping the blanket tighter around himself as a shield from his own embarrassment.

“It’s okay, sweetheart, it doesn’t matter what you two did or didn’t do.” Tony smiled, resuming undressing.

“We didn’t,” Peter insisted. “I swear.”

Tony was quiet as he finished undressing down to his boxers, throwing on some sweatpants before getting into the bed beside Peter, propping his head up on his hand. 

“You didn’t do.. _anything_?” 

“We did..things,” Peter looked down at the blanket, his entire body warm. “but we didn’t have sex. I..I didn’t think it would be right when the person I want to be with is you.”

“Oh, baby,” Tony sat up, holding open his arms, Peter quickly cuddling up against him. “you have me. I’m yours, and you’re mine. As long as you want.”

“Promise?” Peter whispered quietly, resting his head against the older man’s chest as Tony ran his hand along Peter’s back.

“Promise.”

-

“I can’t believe you’re leaving me,” Peter moaned, sitting down and taking a sip of his drink. “it’s so unfair.”

“We’ll still see each other all the time,” Wanda reached across the table and squeezed his hand gently. “I swear.”

“Still, I’m allowed to be just a little annoyed about it.” Peter smiled softly, squeezing her hand back.

“That’s fair.” Wanda laughed gently, taking a sip of her drink.

“September can’t come quick enough, the sooner I’m out of there the better.” Peter sighed, shifting in his seat.

“Time will fly, just wait and see.” Wanda reassured him, finishing the last of her drink. “I’ll get these, same again?”

“Yes, please,” Peter nodded, finishing his drink. “thanks.” 

He took his phone out when Wanda made her way to the bar, smiling as he saw a new message from Tony. It was a photo of the TV in Tony’s apartment, the Stranger Things episode list on the screen.

**_I just finished season 3 what do I do now?_ **

**_Wait for me to come over and console you_ **

“Peter?”

“Huh?” He set his phone down on the table and let out a small gasp as he saw Steve standing in front of the table.

“Steve, hey.” He smiled, getting up as Steve smiled back, looking a little less nervous. “How’ve you been?”

“Good, yeah,” Steve nodded, giving Peter a quick hug. “how about you?”

“I’ve been good, too. How’s work?” Peter asked, tucking his hands into his back pockets.

“It’s been going well, thanks. How about you? Have you started the internship yet?” Steve asked, glancing back at the bar.

“No, not yet. September, so not too long to wait.” Peter noticed Wanda talking to someone at the bar, an attractive brunette. 

“Ah, of course.” Steve nodded, clearing his throat. “well I should..be going, it was nice seeing you again.”

“You too, Steve. I hope things are going well for you, with..you know.” Peter gave him a genuine smile, and Steve gave him one back.

“They are, thanks Peter. See you later.” He gently squeezed Peter’s arm before heading over to the brunette at the bar, Wanda saying something to him, smiling before walking back to Peter, setting the drinks down on the table.

“So, what was that about?” The redhead asked, passing Peter his drink.

“He just wanted to say hi.” Peter shrugged. “It was nice seeing him.”

“As long as you’re okay.” Wanda smiled, taking a sip of her drink.

“Don’t worry about me,” Peter picked up his phone, smiling at the message on the screen before putting it down again and picking up his drink. “I’m just fine.”

-

“Hang on, I’m coming,” Peter called, running over to the door and opening it, ushering Tony inside.

“Everything okay Pete?” Tony raised an eyebrow, closing the door behind himself.

“Yeah,” Peter nodded, slightly flushed. “dinner’s almost ready.”

“Did you cook?” Tony asked, and Peter appreciated that he didn’t sound _too_ unenthusiastic.

“I sure did,” Peter grinned, wrapping his arms around the older man and giving him a quick kiss, moving back and taking his hand. “come on.”

It was the first time Tony was going to be staying over at Peter’s apartment and he wanted everything to be special. MJ was staying with Carla for the weekend, and Peter jumped at the chance to have Tony over. He loved Friday nights at his dad’s place, they’d order takeout, argue about what movie to watch, snuggle up on the couch and then fall into bed. 

The first time Peter told Tony he wanted to take things further, he’d been incredibly nervous, managing to stay sober enough to focus. Tony’s solution to easing Peter’s nerves was to make him laugh, and so Peter alternated between fits of giggles and lewd moans, much to Tony’s amusement. Since that first time, Peter had been insatiable, using every opportunity to be as close to the older man as possible. (Wanda had been incredibly suspicious when Peter returned from his lunch break out of breath and rumpled, insisting he'd just lost track of time and had to run back to the office. It wasn’t his fault Tony had dropped by to take him out for lunch and they never made it out of the car). 

It had never felt wrong, or awkward. From the very first time, laughter and all, it just felt right. Like they were made for each other.

“What are you treating me to?” Tony asked, following Peter into the kitchen.

“Cheeseburgers,” Peter beamed. “homemade. What do you think?”

“I think I could grow to love you, in time.” Tony grinned, watching as Peter moved about the kitchen in a calm flutter.

“You’re hilarious, you know that?” Pete rolled his eyes, a smile on his face as he checked on the burgers he had under the grill.

“I’ve been told.” Tony smirked, going over to the table and opening the bottle of wine.

“Take a seat, these’ll be ready in a minute.” Peter opened the fridge, taking out various condiments and laying them on the table as Tony poured their drinks.

“Here.” Tony handed him a glass, their fingers brushing and sending sparks down Peter’s back.

“Maybe I could grow to love you in return.” Peter winked, taking a sip before heading back over to the grill.

“Touche.” Tony smiled, taking a seat and watching his boy with adoration.

“Yes, really,” Tony laughed, shaking his head as he sat up on the couch. “for the millionth time.”

“I feel like you’re just being nice.” Peter whined softly, snuggling up to the older man, pouting slightly.

“Hey,” Tony gently placed his hand under Peter’s chin, lifting his head up to meet Tony’s eyes. “they were perfect. Like you.” 

“Bu-” 

Tony quickly silenced him with a kiss, smiling into it when Peter let out a happy moan, shifting himself until he was sitting in Tony’s lap, the older man’s hand wrapping around his waist, the other gently cupping his cheek.

“So hang on,” Tony frowned, pointing to the TV. “is he now..an _alien_? Why is he in the lobster tank?”

“ _Because_ ,” Peter huffed, sitting up and reaching for his glass. “he’s _not_ an alien, but he’s not _not_..just watch it.” 

“Okay,” Tony nodded, a slight smirk on his face as Peter settled back against him, throwing his arm over the younger man’s waist. “sorry, sweetheart.”

“Seriously?” Peter sighed as Tony shifted behind him, moving to stand up. “this is a key scene, we find out that he’s changed his..just go.” He waved his hand as Tony bit back a laugh, getting up and heading to the bathroom.

“Can’t sit through a movie for five minutes.” Peter muttered to himself, pausing the movie and getting up, taking the empty glasses into the kitchen. He dug through the cabinets, grabbing some popcorn and throwing it into the microwave, grumbling under his breath as he refilled the glasses on the counter.

“Popcorn, great idea.” Tony smiled, coming into the kitchen and nodding towards the microwave.

“Mm.” Peter sighed, picking up a glass and handing it to Tony.

“Alright there, darling?” Tony raised an eyebrow as Peter picked up his own glass, keeping his back to Tony.

“That’s good,” Tony nodded, walking over to the younger man and setting his glass down, moving his hands to Peter’s hips, leaning in and gently kissing his neck. “for a second there I thought you might be.. _annoyed_ by me.” 

“I..” Peter let out a low moan as Tony continued kissing his neck, teeth finding the sweet spot just below his ear.

“You..?” Tony smirked, kissing along Peter’s neck, leaving little marks as he tightened his grip on the younger man’s hips.

“I.. _ohh_..I’m not.. _ah_..annoyed..” Peter tilted his neck against Tony’s shoulder, arching his back slightly into his father, his breath shallowing. 

“I thought so.” Tony moved his hands around to Peter’s front, gently caressing him as he continued his attack on his neck, leaving a particularly deep mark.

“Daddy.. _mm_..please..” Peter moaned softly, closing his eyes and gripping Tony’s wrist.

The microwave made a ‘ding’ noise and Tony stepped back from Peter, heading over to the machine and opening it.

“Come on Pete, I wanna see Poison save the city.”

-

“Please,” Peter whined, shifting in Tony’s lap, grabbing the older man’s shoulders. “Just.. _mm_..”

“You need to tell me what you want, baby, or I can’t do it.” Tony was thrilled that his idea to spend the evening slowly winding Peter up had worked, his boy had practucally jumped on him as soon as the movie (Which Tony actually enjoyed, despite Peter’s threats to turn it off if _‘stop making stupid comments and just pay attention, it’s not that hard daddy’_ ) had ended, Tony keeping him in his arms as he carried him into the bedroom, the boy well and truly wound.

“ _Harder_ , please..” Peter shifting again to try and achieve his goal, Tony simply enjoying the view. Peter was beautiful, he knew that, but he had never known just how beautiful his boy could be. The first time Tony had seen his boy blissed out and spent under him, eyes lidded and lips parted, he knew he’d treasure the image forever.

“Please..?” Tony smirked, enjoying the desperate expression etched onto Peter’s face.

“Please _daddy_..come on..I need you..” Peter moaned, leaning in and pressing his lips against Tony’s cupping his face. 

Tony obliged, knowing he could never deny Peter anything, relishing in the sounds and sights of his perfect boy.

-

The world was perfect. Well, _Peter’s_ world was perfect, he thought. 

He smiled softly to himself as he looked up at his bedroom ceiling, his hands laying above him on his pillow. 

He glanced across at the sleeping figure beside him, his heart swelling with happiness and joy. Last night had been so amazing and he couldn’t believe he had a whole lifetime of them ahead, wanting to savour every one.

Gently lifting the blanket off himself and slipping out of bed, Peter threw on some shorts and a clean t-shirt before padding out to the kitchen, quietly closing the bedroom door after him.

He wanted to go all out and make the perfect breakfast in bed, though a quick examination of the fridge and cabinets made him rethink his plans a little. (Cheerios and a slightly soft apple were romantic, right?) 

He hummed softly to himself as he moved about the kitchen, feeling like he was floating. As he was cutting up the apple he heard footsteps behind him, turning around smiling as he saw Tony approach him, one hand rubbing his eyes and the other giving Peter a small wave. He was wearing the grey sweatpants Peter may or may not have specifically asked him to bring, and an old band t-shirt with faded lettering, a vision of perfection in Peter’s eyes.

“Hey.” Peter embraced the older man in a hug as he entered the kitchen. Now that Tony was his, he wasn’t ever letting go.

“Morning, baby,” Tony gave Peter a gentle squeeze, letting out a yawn as he rubbed his son’s back. “what’re you up to huh?” 

“It was supposed to be a surprise.” Peter huffed slightly, Tony laughing and gently kissing the top of his head.

“I can go back in there and pretend I didn’t see anything.” Tony offered, pulling back and giving the younger man a tired smile.

“Well before you go..” Peter smiled, moving in closer and holding onto Tony's arms, leaning up slightly and being greeted with a kiss he wanted to last forever.

“Or you could just come back with me, I think the apple can wait.” Tony smirked, pulling Peter flush against him and lost himself in the embrace.

The only noise came from stolen kisses, sweet whispers and soft giggles, and it was all Peter needed.

Until he heard a throat clearing behind them.

“What was-”

Peter’s eyes went wide as he turned around, his body freezing in place as he saw MJ standing by the open front door, mirroring his actions.

“I..I uh,” She looked up to the ceiling, gently scratching her neck. “forgot..something. Charger. Phone charger. You know what? It doesn’t matter,” She looked down at the ground, leg shaking slightly. “I should go.”

Before Peter could say anything she’d already gone, the door closing behind her.

“Did that just happen?” Peter asked quietly after a moment, his body unmoved. 

“I’m afraid so.” Tony confirmed, running a hand through his hair and letting out a deep sigh.

“Oh _god_.” Peter turned around, burying his face in his father’s chest, trying to drown out all the thoughts in his head fighting for attention. Tony’s arms wrapped around him, attempting to protect him from the rubble as his perfect world crashed down around them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was this 👌close to just making it a sweet ending but where's the fun in that? 
> 
> This is a weird thing, but I'm not 100% sure if Americans make microwave popcorn or grill burgers in their oven? I'm not American, but have always had a huge influx of American culture throughout my life, yet those little details escape me 😂 Feel free to let me know, Americans! 
> 
> This story is definitely my favourite Starker piece I've written, and I'm so appreciative that you're enjoying it, I really really am ❤️
> 
> As always feel free to let me know what you thought, I adore hearing from you 🥰


	10. Chapter Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The secret's out..
> 
> This isn't strictly necessary, but the song 'Lover' by Taylor Swift was a major influence for how I wanted to end this story, so if you want to give it a listen while reading this feel free (It's also just a really good Starker song anyway ❤️)

T W O Y E A R S L A T E R 

“Long day?” Peter raised an eyebrow as Tony came into the kitchen, tugging his tie loose. He wiped his hands on a cloth before picking up his phone, lowering the volume on the speakers sitting on the windowsill.

“Longest of my life, I think.” Tony nodded, coming round to Peter’s side of the island and giving him a kiss on the cheek before going over to the sink and washing his hands.

“At least you’re free for the summer now, that’s something.” Peter smiled, continuing to chop up vegetables, humming along to the music playing.

“I know,” Tony nodded, drying his hands and sitting down on the stool beside where Peter was standing, taking his tie off and dropping it on the island. “but still. I mean, all teenagers can be little shits but private school kids are a _whole_ other ball game.”

“But so is the money, right? _You_ chose to take the job.” Peter grinned, sweeping the vegetables into a bowl. 

“And _you_ chose Westchester.” Tony raised an eyebrow, reaching over and sneaking a piece of carrot, Peter swatting his hand away.

“Hey, if it’s good enough for Monica and Chandler it’s good enough for us. Don’t tell me you haven’t loved it out here.” Peter sighed, drying his hands.

“You got me there, sweetheart.” Tony raised a hand, a smile forming on his face.

“You can have me anywhere.” Peter smiled softly, a slight blush colouring his cheeks as he cleaned up the counter top.

“Is that so?” Tony smirked, standing up and reaching out for Peter’s arm, gently tugging him closer, the younger man wrapping his arms around Tony’s neck.

“Mm. _Anywhere_.” Peter murmured softly, trailing his hands down Tony’s body slowly.

“Even, say..” Tony wrapped his arms around the younger man, lifting him up and placing him down on the island, Peter letting out the most beautiful squeak Tony had ever heard. “ _here_?”

-

“Hey, Rhodey,” Peter smiled as he opened the door. “Is..Aunt Pepper not with you?”

“No, she uh..she wanted to come, but she got called into the office at the last minute.” Rhodey smiled apologetically, lightly scratching his neck.

“Okay, maybe next time.” Peter nodded, stepping back to let the man inside.

They had this exact conversation every time Rhodey visited, Peter asking the same question and Rhodey giving the same answer. Peter hoped that one day, he wouldn’t have to ask anymore.

“Yeah.” Rhodey gave him a smile, gently patting his back as they walked into the house. 

-

“Hey, sorry I’m late,” Wanda smiled, giving Peter a hug before the adorable redheaded toddler in her arms reached out for one too. “Little Miss Katharina here wouldn’t get up from her nap.”

“Well we can’t compete with naptime, can we Katie?” Peter grinned, gently bouncing the eighteen-month-old girl in his arms, who giggled and buried her face in his neck.

“Could you watch her for a minute? I just want to call James and let him know we got here.” Wanda asked, gently rubbing her daughter’s back.

“Of course I can,” Peter smiled, glancing across the lawn. “let’s go see Auntie MJ and Auntie Carla.”

“You’re a lifesaver, Pete. I’ll be right back.” Wanda smiled, gently squeezing his arm before heading back into the house.

Wanda had been totally supportive when Peter told her about him and Tony, much to Peter’s great surprise and relief. She’d insisted that she wasn’t one to judge, and if Peter was happy then she was. 

Peter carried the toddler in his arms across the garden to where MJ and Carla were sitting down on a red and white striped picnic blanket, MJ waving over to them.

MJ, the one person in the world he loved almost as much as Tony.

A week after she’d found out about Peter and Tony (that had been the longest week of Peter’s life. MJ had stayed with Carla and Peter went to Tony’s, not wanting to be alone in the apartment. He was pretty sure he’d driven his father to insanity with his constant panic and fear, crying himself to sleep every night despite Tony’s assurances everything would be okay), she’d called Peter and asked if they could meet up at their apartment to talk.

Peter had been trying to prepare himself for MJ leaving his life, not sure how he'd be able to deal with it, but knowing he couldn’t blame her if she didn’t want anything to do with him anymore.

But, Peter learned never to underestimate Michelle Jones, as she told him she didn’t care that Peter was with Tony. All she cared about was that Peter understood what he was doing, that he was happy. Peter had never been so relieved in his life, trying not to cry as he explained that he knew exactly what he was doing, and Tony knew too, and would do whatever it took to keep Peter safe and happy.

He did cry, the two of them hugging for an endless amount of time on the couch, and he was pretty sure she’d cried too, but couldn’t be sure. She promised that she’d always be on Peter’s side, no matter what, and Peter knew that not everyone would be so accepting, but MJ was, and that was more than he could hope for.

“Emmay!” Katie squealed with delight when Peter set her down on the blanket, toddling over to the brunette.

“It’s so cute how close you two are.” Peter grinned, sitting down and tucking his legs under himself.

“Oh yeah, we’re like this,” MJ lifted her hand, crossing her fingers. “right Katie?”

The redhead nodded proudly, attempting to imitate MJ’s gesture, much to the amusement of Peter and Carla.

“We were babysitting the other night and I _swear_ MJ is like the toddler-whisperer or something,” Carla grinned, laying back on her hands. “it’s truly incredible to witness.”

“You can say that again,” Peter smiled, watching as Katie crawled into the brunette’s lap. “I can’t believe out of the three of us, MJ is her favourite.”

“She’s a smart kid, what can I say.” MJ shrugged, gently booping the toddler’s nose, much to her delight.

-

“I better be going,” Rhodey smiled softly, setting his drink down and pushing his chair back. Neither he nor Tony acknowledged that the man had only been at the party for just under an hour. He never stayed long when he visited, but Tony and Peter both appreciated that he made the effort. The man was in an awkward position, Pepper hadn’t talked to them since they told her and Rhodey about their relationship. Tony had gotten the brunt of her anger, yelling and screaming and crying, until she just stopped. He never told Peter about it, Pepper still sent the younger man birthday cards and very occasionally texted him, but that was it. 

Tony knew it hurt Peter to have someone so close to him take such a step back, and it hurt him too, but Tony hoped that maybe, one day, she’d forgive him.

“Alright,” Tony stood up, giving his friend a hug. “give Pep our love.”

“I will.” Rhodey promised, heading over to Peter to say goodbye.

Tony sat back down, watching as Peter looked up from where he’d been gently tickling Katharina, the little girl giggling and squirming in MJ’s arms. The younger man stood up, giving Rhodey a hug and probably telling him the same thing Tony had.

He smiled as he watched Peter sit back down, playing peek-a-boo with the toddler. He adored her, and it melted Tony’s heart every time. 

“I don’t know who’s cuter.”

He looked up and smiled as Wanda sat down beside him, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.

“It’s a tough call,” Tony laughed, giving her a quick hug. “how’ve you been?”

“Good, yeah,” Wanda smiled, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “we’re actually looking into moving out here ourselves soon, now that Katie’s getting more active. Would you recommend leaving the city?”

“Well to be honest, yes,” Tony grinned, looking over at Peter before turning back to Wanda. “it’s the best thing we ever did. Pete’s commute is a breeze, and there’s a really great atmosphere out here, very relaxed.”

Tony had been the more reluctant one to move, initially. He’d spent his entire life in the city, as had Peter. But they wanted to start a new life together, and once Peter had finished his internship and gotten a job at one of the top chemical engineering firms in the city, he finally managed to convince Tony that they should take the chance. Tony got a new position at an elite private school in the area, and they soon settled into their new life. 

“Really? Well you guys are certainly an endorsement, don’t be surprised if we move in down the street sooner rather than later.” Wanda smiled, gently squeezing Tony’s shoulder before getting up and heading over to her daughter, Peter chatting to her for a minute before getting up and coming over to Tony.

“Hey, I missed you.” The younger man smiled, giving Tony a kiss before sitting in Wanda’s vacated seat.

“I didn’t go anywhere, sweetheart.” Tony laughed, draping his arm over Peter’s shoulder as he shifted his chair closer.

“I know,” Peter smiled, leaning against the older man’s shoulder. “I just miss you when I’m not with you.”

-

“You’re here,” Peter beamed, walking into the kitchen. “Hey May, Happy, glad you could make it.” Peter smiled, giving them both a hug, holding onto May for a while, as they had done for the past year. Peter was still overwhelmingly grateful that May was back in their lives. Going a whole year without seeing or talking to her had been hell. He and Tony had rarely talked about it, but they both felt the loss, both hoped she’d come back into their lives. For a while Peter had been terrified she never would. 

Then, last year, at Peter’s birthday party (A barbecue in the backyard, because you only turn twenty two once) MJ and Carla had asked if it was okay that they’d taken some friends along, and Peter hadn’t minded, not thinking too much about it.

When May and Happy had followed MJ and Carla into the house, holding a gold _‘Happy Birthday!’_ helium balloon, Peter had to hold onto MJ for support, unable to believe his eyes.

He spent half the party in the spare room with his aunt, both of them crying and hugging, both of them apologizing endlessly. Eventually Tony joined them, and Peter gave them some time alone, spending a solid half an hour crying to MJ, who just hugged him and let him get it all out.

“Oh, I almost forgot,” May gently pulled away, squeezing Peter’s hand. “I made those cupcakes you showed me, little flags and all, they’re in the car, could you grab them for me?”

“Sure,” Peter smiled. “be right back.” 

He headed outside, skipping down the porch steps before coming to a halt, his jaw dropping as he saw two figures standing by May’s car.

“Oh my god,” He gasped, his body finally kicking into gear and running over, a huge smile on his face. “are you really here?”

“I’m really here,” Ned laughed, “I swear.”

“This is amazing!” Peter beamed, throwing his arms around his best friend and smiling as Ned hugged him back, gently patting his back.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?” Peter asked, moving back and still holding onto Ned’s arms.

“Well,” Ned smiled, gesturing behind Peter. “we wanted to surprise you.”

Peter turned around, finding Tony, May, Happy, MJ and Carla standing on the porch, all smiling, and he felt like his heart couldn't get fuller.

He hadn’t properly seen Ned in forever, the most recent time being two years ago when Tony surprised him with tickets to California on his birthday, and he, MJ and Carla had spent the weekend out there, with Peter deciding to tell Ned about him and Tony.

Ned had been surprised (as expected), and though he took some time to get used to the idea, and he and Peter didn’t talk much for a few months, eventually things became normal again, and they began calling each other a couple of times a week as well as their weekly skype call.

“This is Betty, by the way,” Ned smiled, gesturing to the pretty blonde beside him.

“Of course, it’s so great to finally meet you properly.” Peter grinned, embracing her in a hug. She’d appeared on a couple of their skype calls to say hello, and Peter had been dying to meet her in person. 

“You too, I hope you don’t mind me coming along.” She smiled as they moved apart, looking between the two men.

“Not at all, I’m so glad you’re both here,” Peter smiled. “please tell me you’re staying for a few days?”

“Mmhm, we got an Airbnb in town for the weekend.” Ned nodded, and Peter felt like the smile on his face would never fade.

By the late evening, Tony, Peter, May, Happy, Ned, Betty, MJ and Carla were the only people left at the house, and they migrated to the living room. The TV played quietly in the background as they talked, laughed, ate leftover hot dogs and told stories. 

Peter curled up on Tony’s lap on the cosy grey armchair, picking at one of the cupcakes May made, smiling as Ned made everyone laugh with a story about sitting next to a guy dressed as Superman on a roller coaster at Knott’s Berry Farm.

“You okay, baby?” Tony asked softly, wrapping his arms around Peter’s waist.

“Yeah, just a little tired. Today’s been incredible, I loved it.” Peter nodded, a beaming smile on his face. 

“Good,” Tony smiled, gently stroking the younger man’s hair. “I’m glad you had fun.”

“Guys, there’s a pet-friendly firework display nearby, anyone wanna go?” MJ asked, looking up from her phone. 

A chorus of approval sounded, everyone getting up and getting ready to go. The sun had set, but the air was warm as they walked over to the firework display, Peter was unable to stop smiling as Tony gently squeezed his hand, excited to end a perfect day on a perfect note.

There was a fairly large crowd gathered in the park, and huddled together in a group. Tony stood behind Peter, draping his arms over the younger man’s shoulders, Peter leaning his head back against Tony’s shoulder. 

The fireworks started, silent but beautiful, filling the dark sky with brilliant light. Peter looked beside him, smiling as he saw the other couples all cuddled up together, whispering and smiling. He caught May’s eyes, and she gave him a smile, his heart swelling. 

He pressed back against Tony, a warm shiver going down his spine when the older man gently kissed his neck. 

“Enjoying the display?” Tony smirked, tightening his grip around Peter. 

“Very much so.” Peter smiled, biting his lip softly.

He glanced over to MJ, who promptly stuck her tongue out at him before giving him a small smile, and Peter repeated her actions, smiling as he looked up at the sky.

Peter’s life wasn’t _always_ perfect, but at times like this, it was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I think there's been a lot of emotional turmoil through this story, and I just wanted a good old fashioned happy ending, which I hope was enjoyable 🤦
> 
> I know the whole 'skipping forward in time' thing can be a bit..you know, but the idea came to that way and I went with it, and it's already written and posted now so too late if it's terrible 😂
> 
> Thank you from the bottom of my heart to every single one of you who has taken the time to read and review this story, know it burned verrry slowly at times, and I really appreciate those of you that have stuck it out 😄 
> 
> Please feel free to let me know what you thought of this ending, or just the story overall, every comment gets read like 500 times and just has me walking around with a ricutus grin 🤦❤️

**Author's Note:**

> These two are the greatest inspiration I think I've ever had in my life 🤦 I wanted to try yet another different take on Starker, hopefully it was enjoyable! Feel free to let me know, your feedback is the greatest thing in the world 🥰


End file.
